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HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  •    BOSTON  •   CHICAGO  -   DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


Elephant  in  Uganda 


Frontispiece. 


This  elephant  was  one  of  a  herd  of  about  a  hundred,  all  of  which  were  close  round 
him  in  the  bush  although  invisible  to  the  camera. 


HUNTING 

THE    ELEPHANT 

IN   AFRICA 

AND  OTHER  RECOLLECTIONS  OF 
THIRTEEN    YEARS'    WANDERINGS 


BY 
CAPTAIN    C.    H.    STIGAND 

F.R.G.S.,  F.Z.S.    -^^^ 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  GAME  OF  EAST  AFRICA," 
"THE  LAND  OF  ZINJ,"  ETC. 

WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION    BY 

COLONEL   THEODORE   ROOSEVELT 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 
1913 

-dll  rights  reser-ved 


NOV  2     1961  ^^S^^^^^BRAJa- 

CHESTNUT  Hm,MA^ 


Copyright,  1913, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published  October,  1913. 


J.  8.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


FOREWORD 

For  three-quarters  of  a  century  there  have  been 
capital  books  written  on  big  game  hunting  in  Africa,  — ■ 
one  of  the  best  being  the  earHest,  that  by  Captain 
Cornwallis  Harris.  Of  course  the  only  type  of  big 
game  hunter  who  can  write  a  book  really  worth  reading 
is  the  hunter  who  is  also  at  least  to  a  certain  extent 
an  out-of-doors  naturalist.  In  addition,  he  should 
thoroughly  enjoy  the  strange  desolate  scenery  of  the 
African  wilderness,  and  have  a  sympathetic  under- 
standing of  the  wild  men  who  accompany  him  on  most 
of  his  hunts.  More  and  more  of  late  years  the  best 
t3^e  of  big  game  hunter  has  tended  to  lay  stress  on 
the  natural  history  and  ethnology  of  the  regions  into 
which  he  has  penetrated,  and  to  make  his  book  less 
and  less  a  catalogue  of  mere  slaughter. 

Captain  Stigand  is  one  of  the  most  noted  of 
recent  African  big  game  hunters  and  explorers,  and 
he  is  also  a  field  naturalist  of  unusual  powers.  His 
studies  of  the  tracks  of  animals  have  been  almost 
imique.  The  only  studies  approaching  them  are 
those  about  the  tracks  of  the  game  of  continental 
Europe,  in  the  German  hunting  books  of  the  sev- 
enteenth and  eighteenth  centuries.  He  has  the 
keenest  appreciation  of  the  vivid  and  extraordinary- 
beauty  of   the    teeming    African    wild   life,  and   has 


vi  FOREWORD 


made  close  first-hand  observations  of  the  life  histories 
of  very  many  species  of  big  game.  In  the  past  there 
have  been  many  big  game  hunters  who  wrote  overmuch 
of  their  own  exploits,  so  that  it  becomes  wearisome  to 
read  the  endless  lists  of  the  animals  that  they  killed. 
With  Captain  Stigand  our  quarrel  is  the  direct  reverse. 
He  tells  too  little  of  his  own  achievements.  He  has, 
as  I  can  myself  testify,  the  reputation  among  all  first- 
class  African  hunters  of  being  himself  one  of  the  fore- 
most. He  is  equally  fond  of  venturing  into  unknown 
regions  and  of  the  chase  of  dangerous  game,  and  is  an 
adept  in  the  especially  difficult  art  of  wood  and  bush 
tracking  and  stalking.  Three  times  he  has  been  nearly 
killed  by  his  quarry :  once  by  a  rhinoceros,  once  by 
a  lion,  and  once  by  an  elephant.  It  is  unfortunate  that 
he  will  not  give  us  more  minute  and  extended  accounts 
of  his  own  personal  adventures  —  one  of  the  excellent 
features  of  the  books  of  that  other  great  African  hunter 
Selous  is  that  he  does  give  such  extended  accounts  of 
his  personal  experiences.  But  it  is  as  difficult  to  get 
Captain  Stigand  to  tell  what  he  has  himself  done  as  it 
was  to  get  General  Grant  to  talk  about  his  battles. 
After  this  manuscript  was  in  my  hands.  Captain  Stigand 
was  nearly  kiUed  by  an  elephant.  It  was  in  the  Lado, 
and  he  was  taken  down  to  Khartoum ;  but  his  letters 
to  his  friends  at  home  touched  so  lightly  on  the  sub- 
ject that  they  had  to  obtain  all  real  information  from 
outside  sources. 


FOREWORD  vu 


However,  Captain  Stigand  more  than  makes  up  for 
this  reticence  about  himself  by  the  keenness  and  wide 
range  of  his  observations  about  the  Hfe  histories  of  the 
big  game,  and  by  his  S3nnpathetic  and  understanding 
appreciation  of  his  native  aUies  and  companions. 
Modern  biologists  have  grown  to  realize  the  prime 
scientific  value  of  such  first-hand  field  observations. 
There  are  but  a  limited  number  of  men  who  combine 
the  opportunity  and  the  power  to  make  these  observa- 
tions about  big  game.  In  this  limited  number  Captain 
Stigand  stands  high. 

Like  Mr.  Selous,  Captain  Stigand  has  made  much 
field  study  of  the  subject  of  protective  coloration  as 
applied  to  big  game.  Scientific  men  are  no  more  im- 
mune from  hysteria  and  suggestion  than  other  mortals, 
and  every  now  and  then  there  arises  among  them  some 
fad  which  for  quite  a  time  carries  even  sane  men  off 
their  feet.  This  has  been  the  case  with  the  latter-day 
development  of  the  theories  of  protective  coloration 
and  of  warning  and  recognition  marks  —  but  especially 
the  first.  Because  some  animals  are  undoubtedly 
protectively  colored  and  take  advantage  of  their  color- 
ation and  are  served  by  it,  a  number  of  naturalists  have 
carried  the  theory  to  fantastic  extremes.  They  have 
applied  it  where  it  does  not  exist  at  all,  and  have  en- 
deavored to  extend  it  to  a  degree  that  has  tended  to 
make  the  whole  theory  ridiculous.  Most  good  observ- 
ers are  now  agreed  that  in  the  higher  vertebrates,  that 


viii  FOREWORD 


is,  in  mammals  and  birds,  the  coloration  of  probably  the 
majority  of  the  species  has  little  or  nothing  to  do  with 
any  protective  or  concealing  quality.  There  are  some 
hundreds  of  species  which  we  can  say  with  certainty 
are  protectively  colored;  there  are  a  great  number 
which  we  can  say  with  certainty  are  not  protectively 
colored.  As  regards  others  we  are  still  in  doubt. 
There  have  not  been  sufi&ciently  extensive  observations 
made  of  wild  animals  under  natural  conditions  to  en- 
able us  to  speak  with  certainty  as  to  just  the  part 
played  by  protective  coloration  among  large  numbers  of 
the  smaller  mammals  and  birds.  We  are,  however, 
able  to  speak  with  certainty  as  regards  most  big  birds 
and  especially  most  big  mammals. 

Captain  Stigand  has  shown  that  as  regards  most  of 
the  big  game  of  Africa  protective  coloration  plays  not 
even  the  smallest  part  in  concealing  them  from  their 
foes.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  animals  of  the  plains, 
the  giraffe,  zebra,  hartebeest,  oryx,  eland,  roan  and 
sable  antelope,  wildebeest,  topi,  gazelle,  and  the  like. 
As  to  these  animals  we  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
first-hand  observations  to  warrant  us  in  saying  that  the 
extreme  theories  of  Professor  Poulton  and  the  Messrs. 
Thayer  have  no  basis  whatever  in  fact.  It  is  much  to 
be  regretted  that  there  are  not  more  scientific  writers 
with  the  clear  scientific  judgment  displayed  by  Messrs. 
DeWar  and  Finn  in  their  "  Making  of  Species." 

The  big  game  animals  of  the  plains  do  not  seek  to 


FOREWORD  ix 


elude  observation  and  are  not  helped  by  their  color 
in  the  struggle  for  life.  It  is  astounding  that  some  of 
the  closet  theorists  who  have  written  on  this  matter 
should  have  failed  to  understand  what  the  conditions  ac- 
tually are.  For  example,  it  has  been  seriously  asserted 
that  zebras,  ory:x,  and  the  various  plains  antelope  are 
protected  by  their  colors  at  their  drinking  places.  No 
such  statement  would  ever  have  been  made  by  any  man 
who  had  ever  seen  these  animals  approach  a  drinking 
place.  They  make  no  attempt  whatever  to  hide,  and 
if  they  pay  attention  to  cover  at  all,  it  is  merely  to  avoid 
it,  because  it  may  hold  their  great  enemy,  the  lion. 
They  often  come  in  great  herds  to  drink.  They  are  in 
motion  of  course  —  otherwise  they  could  not  get  down 
to  drink  —  and  anything  in  motion  at  once  catches  the 
eye  of  any  beast  hunter.  They  move  forward,  now  at 
a  walk,  now  at  a  trot ;  halt,  wheel,  and  run  backwards ; 
and  often  do  not  come  down  to  drink  until  there  have 
been  hah  a  dozen  such  false  alarms.  Occasionally, 
especially  if  they  suspect  the  presence  of  a  foe,  they 
make  their  final  rush  at  furious  speed,  gulp  the  water 
hastily  down,  and  rush  off  again.  The  coloring  of  the 
different  species  is  infinitely  varied,  and  this  although 
they  are  Hving  under  precisely  similar  conditions.  It 
is  varied  in  some  species  even  between  the  male  and 
female,  who  five  in  the  same  herd.  Yet  those  species 
like  eland  and  roan  antelope,  whose  general  tint  does 
often  shade  into  the  landscape,  make  no  more  effort  to 


FOREWORD 


hide  than  such  animals  as  the  sable  and  the  wildebeest, 
whose  coloration  is  advertising  in  the  highest  degree. 
There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  species  of  one 
type  are  helped  or  the  species  of  the  other  type  harmed 
by  their  coloration.  The  coloration  of  the  zebra, 
giraffe,  and  of  many  of  the  antelopes  so  far  as  it  has 
any  effect  is  of  a  revealing  or  advertising  quality.  Of 
course  there  are  circumstances  under  which  any  type 
of  coloration,  no  matter  of  what  conceivable  kind,  is 
concealing ;  but  with  most  of  the  African  big  game  the 
coloration  must  reveal  them  much  more  often  than  it 
conceals  them ;  nevertheless  the  circumstances  of  their 
lives  are  such  that  neither  the  revealing  nor  the  con- 
cealing quality  of  the  different  coloration  patterns 
has  any  effect  upon  the  life  of  the  species. 

Mr.  Wallace  does  not  go  to  the  extremes  of  the  ultra 
concealing  coloration  men.  But  in  a  recent  volume 
he  has  strained  the  recognition  mark  theory  to  an  im- 
possible point  by  claiming  that  the  horns  of  certain 
African  antelopes  are  useful  as  such  recognition  marks. 
He  gives  several  pictures  of  these  antelopes.  In  most 
of  the  species  thus  pictured  only  the  adult  males  have 
the  horns  which  he  describes,  and  it  can  hardly  be 
seriously  contended  that  there  has  been  a  development 
of  "recognition"  marks  to  the  exclusion  of  all  of  the 
animals  of  one  sex  and  of  half  of  the  animals  of  another, 
including  all  the  young.  Among  the  species  Mr. 
Wallace  enumerates  as  having  horns  which  serve  as 


FOREWORD  xi 


recognition  marks  are  hartebeests.  Now  the  harte- 
beests  have  relatively  small  and  inconspicuous  horns, 
whereas  their  bodily  shape  is  unmistakable.  They  live 
under  conditions  which  make  it  certain  that  they  must 
see  one  another  in  the  immense  majority  of  cases  at  dis- 
tances such  that  their  shape  would  identify  them  and 
their  horns  would  not,  and  in  the  remaining  cases  they 
would  be  so  near  that  they  could  not  fail  to  identify 
one  another  even  if  they  were  absolutely  hornless. 

When  leaders  of  scientific  thought  develop  theories 
of  this  kind  it  is  natural  that  many  good  observers 
should  be  unconsciously  influenced  by  the  opinions 
of  those  to  whom  they  had  been  trained  to  look  up 
as  authorities.  In  consequence,  even  good  outdoors 
men  have  committed  themselves  to  statements  on  this 
subject  which  will  not  stand  investigation.  It  is  one 
of  the  merits  of  Captain  Stigand  that  he  is  among  the 
observers  who  have  set  forth  the  facts  so  clearly  as 
regards  big  game  that  there  is  now  no  excuse  for 
further  mistakes  or  misstatements  in  the  matter. 

In  short.  Captain  Stigand  has  written  a  book  which 
ought  to  appeal  to  every  believer  in  vigor  and  hardi- 
hood, to  every  lover  of  wilderness  adventure,  and  to 
every  man  who  values  at  their  proper  worth  the  ob- 
servations of  an  excellent  field  naturalist. 


THEODORE   ROOSEVELT. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    Elephant  Hunting i 

II.    Native  Trackers i8 

III.  About  Rhino 32 

IV.  More  Elephant  Hunting 46 

V.    Amongst  the  Madi 62 

VI.     About  Buffalo 80 

VII.    African  Rivers  and  Swamps 94 

VIII.    Contrasts  and  Changes m 

IX.    About  Lion 127 

X.     Native  Servants 153 

XI.  Elephant  Hunting  in  the  Lugware  Country       .     171 

XII.  Elephant    Hunting    in    the    Lugware    Country 

(Contifiued)   .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .187 

XIII.  The  Happy  Bantu 205 

XIV.  Curious  Hunting  Incidents 226 

XV.  Two  Short  Treks  and  Two  African  Chiefs         .    242 

XVI.  Odd  Notes  on  Game  and  the  Honey  Guide         .    256 

XVII.  Tusks  of  Elephant  and  their  Measurements      .    270 

XVIII.  Curious  African  Sayings  and  Ideas       .        .        .    280 

XIX.     Camp  Hints 295 

XX.     Stalking  the  African 309 

XXI.    Hunting  the  Bongo 325 

XXII.  Odd  Notes  on  African  Insects       ....    336 

XXIII.  Mimicry  and  Protective  Colouration  in  Insects  .    356 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Elephant  in  Uganda       ......        Frontispiece 

TO  FACE 
PAGE 

Belgian  Postes  in  the  Lado 24 

Rhino 36 

Elephant  in  Thick  Bush 56 

Tame  Animals  at  Kagulu.     Lado  Enclave         ...  56 

In  the  Nile  Swamps  North  of  Wadelai     ....  74 

A  Shady  Camp 90 

Floating  My  Tent  across  a  Swollen  River      .        .        .  104 

The  African  Canoe 104 

Gamra  Oasis.     Borana  Country 132 

The  White  Rhino 132 

Elephants  Shot  in  the  Lado  Enclave         .        .        .        .176 

Baby  Elephant 192 

A  Young  Ostrich 232 

KoROLi       .        .        .        . 232 

Topi 260 

Waller's  Gazelle 260 

Beginner's  Luck 276 

A  Nice  Pair  of  Tusks 276 

Oryx 300 

Giraffe 300 

Returning  Home 330 

Good-bye 364 


HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN 
AFRICA 

CHAPTER  I 

ELEPHANT  HUNTING 

There  is  something  so  fascinating  and  absorbing 
about  elephant  hunting  that  those  who  have  done 
much  of  it  can  seldom  take  any  interest  again  in  any 
other  form  of  sport.  It  seems  so  vastly  superior  to 
all  other  big  game  shooting  that,  once  they  have  sur- 
rendered themselves  to  its  charms,  they  cannot  even 
treat  any  other  form  of  hunting  seriously.  Every- 
thing else  seems  little  and  insignificant  by  comparison. 

The  lot  of  the  elephant  hunter  is  now  a  hard  one. 
Girt  about  on  all  sides  with  exorbitant  and  restrictive 
licenses,  and  with  most  of  the  elephant  now  driven 
into  unhealthy  and  impenetrable  country,  he  must 
needs  be  an  enthusiast  who  would  become  a  devotee 
of  this  sport. 

Sometimes  when  struggling  waist  deep  through  a 
swamp  or  forcing  a  way  through  tall  grass  and  noxious 
vegetation  reaching  far  above  his  head,  with  a  blaz- 
ing sun  and  in  a  fever-stricken  locality,  after  having 
paid  £50  for  a  license  to  shoot  two  elephant,  he  must 
think  bitterly  on  the  accident  of  birth  which  brought 


2       HUNTING   THE  ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

him  some  fifty  years  too  late  into  this  world.  He 
would  hardly  be  human  if  he  did  not  think  with  envy 
of  those  who  had  been  able  to  shoot  an  unlimited 
number  on  no  license  in  a  gloriously  healthy  climate, 
and  moreover  in  country  so  open  that  the  pursuit 
could  sometimes  be  carried  out  on  horseback.  There 
is  one  thing,  however,  for  which  the  modern  hunter 
has  to  be  thankful,  and  that  is  the  accuracy,  lightness, 
and  power  of  his  weapon;  in  all  others  he  is  handi- 
capped. 

In  the  early  days  in  the  East  African  Highlands 
things  must  have  been  much  the  same  as  in  the  old 
days  in  South  Africa,  except  that  the  healthier  parts 
were  never  so  famed  for  elephant  as  the  more  tropical 
and  unhealthier  climes  of  Uganda  and  the  low  country 
to  the  north. 

The  late  A.  H.  Neumann  must  have  had  a  glorious 
time  in  the  Meru  country  and  the  Highlands  north 
of  Laikipia,  the  latter  a  place  in  which  elephant  are 
seldom  met  with  now. 

The  difficult  and  forbidding  country  about  Lake 
Rudolf  is  at  least  open  and  absolutely  devoid  of  vege- 
tation. The  accounts  of  how  elephant  were  met  with 
day  after  day  in  perfectly  open  country  by  Count 
Teleki  in  his  discovery  of  Lakes  Rudolf  and  Stephanie, 
a  country  which  is  now  almost  elephantless,  read 
almost  like  a  fairy  tale  to  modern  hunters. 

I  have  never  met  elephant  in  such  open  country 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING 


as  this,  but,  coming  as  I  do  amongst  latter-day  hunters, 
I  have  perhaps  Httle  to  grumble  about,  as  I  have  often 
found  them  in  quite  favorable  localities  where  it  is 
possible  to  move  about  easily.  In  another  forty  or 
fifty  years  perhaps  it  will  sound  equally  like  a  fairy 
tale,  that  elephant  could  ever  offer  a  clear  and  open 
shot  at  a  hundred  yards'  range. 

The  only  place  in  which  I  have  come  across  ele- 
phant in  a  cold  and  temperate  climate  is  on  the  Aber- 
dare  range,  and  there  it  is  often  too  cold  to  be  pleasant. 
Owing  to  the  thickness  of  the  vegetation,  the  scarcity 
of  shootable  bulls,  and  other  circumstances  I  was  not 
successful. 

The  first  time  I  visited  these  hiUs  was  in  1906  in 

'd  not 
company  with  a  brother  ofiicer.  Captain  Olivier,     i  ne 

elephant  appeared  to  consist  chiefly  of  herds  of  females 
and  young  and  had  a  sufficiently  bad  reputation. 
Shortly  before,  a  himter  had  had  his  arm  broken  by 
being  flung  aside  by  an  elephant,  whilst  others  had 
spent  unpleasant  moments  with  them. 

We  decided  to  be  very  careful  and  cautious;  so  when 
we  located  a  herd  on  the  lower  slopes  we  spent  some 
time  investigating  them,  and  trying  to  spot  a  buU 
from  a  safe  distance.  They  were  screaming  and 
trumpeting,  a  sign  that  they  were  chiefly  females 
and  young.  They  moved  along  the  lower  slopes  in- 
side the  bush  belt  rapidly,  and  where  they  had  crossed 
the  numerous   watercourses  coming   down   from   the 


4       HUNTING   THE  ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

mountain  they  had  pushed  aside  bushes  and  branches 
which  had  closed  again  over  their  path.  In  such  places 
as  these  it  was  often  necessary  to  crawl  on  hands  and 
knees  to  pass  the  obstructions. 

Finally  they  moved  up  into  the  hills  and  started  graz- 
ing, and  we  were  not  able  to  get  a  good  look  at  them. 
The  wind  was  bad,  and  we  manoeuvred  about  for  some 
time  without  seeing  them,  being  only  aware  of  their 
presence  by  the  sounds  of  breaking  branches.  As  they 
appeared  to  be  slowly  coming  down  the  hill  again,  we 
decided  to  wait  till  they  reached  a  spot  in  which  the 
bushes  were  shorter  and  where  we  would  have  a  better 
opportunity  of  being  able  to  locate  a  bull  if  there  was 

one  with  the  herd, 
ana  ur 

en  one  has  a  license  only  permitting  the  shooting 

Oi  i,  /o  elephants,  one  has  to  be  very  wary  in  approach- 
ing big  herds  in  thick  country,  and  cannot  afford  to  run 
the  risk  of  being  charged  by  or  shooting  a  female  or 
small  bull. 

Whilst  we  were  waiting,  sleet  began  to  fall,  and  we 
took  refuge  under  a  big  shrub.  The  sleet  presently 
turned  to  hail,  and  we  cowered  under  our  shelter. 
Meanwhile  we  heard  the  elephant  breaking  branches 
and  feeding  uninterruptedly  a  short  distance  away. 
During  the  storm  an  elephant  with  about  30  or  40 
pound  tusks  appeared  not  40  yards  from  us  down  wind 
and  apparently  quite  unconcerned  at  the  sleet. 

We  tried  to  shoot  him,  but  we  could  hardly  see  for 


ELEPHANT  HUNTING 


hail,  and  it  is  a  difficult  matter  shooting  with  another 
man  when  always  accustomed  to  shoot  by  oneself. 
We  each  put  a  shot  into  him,  but  between  us  bungled 
him.  He  turned  and  raced  to  the  edge  of  a  steep 
nullah  about  a  hundred  yards  off,  and  appeared  to 
fall  over  the  edge.  We  ran  out  from  our  retreat,  but 
at  that  moment  the  hail  redoubled  in  intensity,  and 
came  down  the  size  of  small  marbles,  so  that  we  were 
absolutely  unable  to  stand  up  to  it.  With  one  accord 
we  turned  and  fled  to  a  tree  close  by,  and  pressed  our- 
selves against  the  trunk. 

The  hail  continued  for  about  an  hour,  we  were  bitterly 
cold,  the  altitude  was  8000  feet,  and  we  were  only  dressed 
in  the  usual  hunting  shirt  and  shorts.  I  got  a  fit 
of  ague  and  my  teeth  chattered  so  that  I  could  not 
speak.  While  in  this  condition  I  peered  round  the 
trunk  of  our  tree,  and  there,  close  to  where  the  elephant 
had  been  I  saw  two  rhino  standing  and  calmly  survejdng 
the  scene.  The  noise  of  the  hail  on  the  trees  and 
ground,  and  the  chattering  of  my  teeth  prevented  my 
being  able  to  tell  Olivier  of  my  discovery,  but  I  nudged 
him  and  he  peered  round  and  saw  what  I  was  trying  to 
tell  him. 

I  fired,  and  one  of  them  dropped  on  his  knees;  when 
trying  to  reload,  —  I  was  shooting  with  a  mannlicher,  — 
a  big  hailstone  got  into  the  breech  and  jammed  it. 
OUvier  finished  him  off  with  a  shot,  whilst  the  second 
one  turned  and  ran  off. 


6       HUNTING    THE  ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

Soon  after  this  the  hail  stopped  and  we  went  to  look 
at  the  place  where  we  had  last  seen  the  elephant.  We 
found  that  he  had  fallen,  picked  himself  up  again,  and 
made  off.  The  ground  was  so  thickly  carpeted 
with  hail  since  he  had  passed  that  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  follow  his  spoor,  and  we  were  so  cold  and 
miserable  that  we  abandoned  it,  and  returned  to  camp. 

Next  day  we  went  to  take  up  the  tracks ;  the  hail 
had  melted  to  a  certain  extent,  although  still  lying  thick 
in  the  shade.  The  whole  herd  of  about  40  animals 
had,  however,  passed  over  the  spoor  of  the  bull  whilst 
the  ground  was  wet  and  slippery,  and  had  cut  it  up  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  original  spoor  was  effectually 
obliterated. 

We  stopped  a  day  or  two  longer  in  the  vicinity  and 
saw  a  herd  again  but  could  not  find  a  shootable  male 
in  it.  On  another  occasion  we  saw  an  elephant  on  an 
opposite  hill.  After  marking  down  the  position  we 
spent  an  immense  time  pushing  through  a  tangle  of 
vegetation,  and  when  we  at  last  reached  the  spot  we 
found  that  he  had  moved  on,  and  we  were  not  able  to 
catch  him  up. 

A  few  months  later  I  was  surve3dng  in  the  same 
neighbourhood,  and  after  a  fortnight's  work  decided  that 
I  was  due  for  two  off  days  at  the  rate  of  one  Sunday 
per  week.  I  got  hold  of  two  Kikuyu  who  knew  the 
hills  well,  it  being  their  trade  to  look  for  honey  and  take 
it  down  to  sell  in  the  villages  on  the  east  side  of  the 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING 


range.  I  also  took  three  porters  to  carry  a  waterproof 
sheet,  a  blanket,  and  a  canteen  for  me.  One  of  these 
porters  was  an  old  man,  who,  according  to  his  own 
account,  was  so  well  fitted  out  with  charms  and  spells 
that  he  could  tackle  any  dangerous  beast  with  impunity 
and  move  amongst  them  unharmed.  I  was  told  that  if 
a  lion  was  lying  here  and  another  there,  two  spots 
about  five  yards  apart  being  indicated,  he  could  come 
and  sleep  between  them  and  continue  on  his  way  next 
day  unmoved. 

The  honey-hunters  led  us  by  elephant  paths  up  the 
hills  till  we  reached  the  bamboo  forest.  The  whole 
mountain  is  covered  with  a  network  of  these  paths 
and  the  back  of  practically  every  spur,  ridge,  and  col 
is  crowned  by  an  elephant  road  following  its  highest 
part.  In  places  we  met  salt  licks,  either  banks  of  red 
earth  or  old  white  ant-hills,  on  which  could  be  seen 
the  tusk  marks  of  elephant  who  had  come  to  break  off 
lumps  of  the  salt  earth.  All  these  marks,  however,  were 
of  females  or  young  and  there  were  no  impressions  of 
big  tuskers. 

We  had  just  descended  a  steep  bamboo-covered 
hillside,  crossed  a  mountain  torrent,  and  were  slowly 
climbing  the  steep  opposite  side  of  the  valley  when  we 
heard  a  noise  from  the  slope  behind  us.  On  looking 
back  we  at  first  only  saw  the  bamboo  moving  by  some 
unseen  agency.  Every  now  and  again  there  would 
be  a  trembling  in  a  clump  of  trees  and  the  top  of  a 


8       HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

stem  would  bend  over  and  disappear  with  a  cracking 
sound.  On  looking  through  my  glasses  I  could  dis- 
tinguish here  and  there  a  black  trunk  soaring  upwards 
to  reach  for  a  high  branch,  and  occasionally  a  glimpse 
of  part  of  a  black  body  between  the  bamboo  clumps. 

After  watching  for  some  time  I  made  out  what  I 
took  to  be  three  bulls  on  the  right  of  the  herd.  Know- 
ing that  I  should  not,  in  all  probability,  get  another  sight 
of  them,  once  I  left  my  coign  of  vantage  on  the  hillside, 
I  took  careful  stock  of  their  position  and  of  any  big  trees 
on  the  way  to  serve  as  landmarks.  Then  I  descended 
to  the  bottom  of  the  valley  again,  crossed  the  stream,  and 
began  the  steep  toil  up  the  slope.  When  I  finally 
arrived  at  the  spot  at  which  I  had  seen  them  there  was 
nothing  but  their  spoor  left;  the  whole  herd  had  moved 
on  and  there  was  not  even  the  noise  of  cracking  bamboo 
to  be  heard.  I  followed  the  spoor  a  little  way,  and,  as 
I  could  see  or  hear  nothing  of  them,  I  returned  to  the 
porters  and  arranged  a  site  for  our  camp.  Having 
done  this  I  went  after  the  elephant  again,  taking  the 
Kikuyus  with  me,  and  we  came  up  with  them  about 
sunset,  busily  feeding  in  a  valley  covered  with  bamboo 
forest.  It  was  too  late  now  to  try  and  find  where  the 
males  were,  so  we  left  them  and  returned  to  camp. 

The  waterproof  sheet  was  pitched  on  the  side  of  the 
hill  in  the  middle  of  the  elephant  path,  there  being  no 
flat  spot  in  which  to  put  it  and  indeed  no  other  place 
clear  enough.     I  brewed  myself  some  cocoa,  which  was 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING 


very  comforting,  for  the  night  was  chilly,  and  we  were 
at  an  altitude  of  about  ten  thousand  feet.  The  rest 
of  the  repast  consisted  of  cold  meat,  biscuits,  and  some 
honey  the  Kikuyn  had  found  during  the  day.  After 
rolling  myself  in  my  blanket  and  making  myself  as 
comfortable  as  I  could  on  the  very  sloping  pathway, 
I  fell  asleep,  thinking  how  awkward  it  would  be  for  us 
if  the  elephant  wanted  to  pass  by  this  same  way 
during  the  night. 

However,  they  did  not  come  our  way,  but  next 
morning  we  found  them  still  breaking  bamboos  in  the 
valley  in  which  we  had  left  them  the  evening  before. 
We  could  not  see  them,  and,  as  the  wind  was  blowing 
down  the  valley  we  followed  along  one  side  of  the  slope 
and  descended  below  them.  Here  we  found  a  network 
of  fresh  tracks,  quantities  of  elephant  having  been  feed- 
ing off  the  bamboo,  which  was  greener  in  the  valley 
bottoms,  whilst  the  upper  slopes  and  the  backs  of  the 
ridges  were  covered  with  old  bamboo  forest. 

We  had  nearly  reached  the  stream  at  the  bottom  of 
the  valley,  and  we  could  still  hear  the  herd  busily 
feeding  up-stream  on  our  right  when  there  was  a 
stampede  to  our  left,  and  we  could  also  hear  another 
herd  beyond  them  charging  off,  crashing  and  crackling 
through  the  bamboos.  We  waited  till  the  sounds  had 
passed  away  in  the  distance,  and  still  we  could  hear  the 
crack,  crack  of  bamboo  from  our  herd  feeding  undis- 
turbed. 


lo      HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

We  cautiously  made  our  way  up  the  valley  towards 
them  till  we  could  locate  them  by  the  moving  of  the 
bamboos.  As  they  were  not  to  be  seen  we  circled 
round  to  try  and  get  a  view  and  mark  down  a  shootable 
bull  from  the  hillside  above  them.  As  we  did  this  we 
gave  our  wind  to  yet  another  herd  who  went  crashing 
off  with  such  a  clatter  and  crackling  of  bamboo  stems 
knocking  against  each  other  and  breaking  that  we 
thought  it  must  disturb  our  herd,  but  when  we  listened 
we  again  heard  the  reassuring  crack,  crack,  showing 
them  to  be  still  grazing.  Again  we  circled  round,  and 
this  time  stampeded  a  fifth  herd. 

We  then  descended  a  gentle  slope  towards  our  herd. 
A  few  tall  jumpers  were  dotted  about  in  the  bamboo 
here.  I  was  with  one  of  the  Kikuyu  and  the  old  porter; 
the  others  I  had  left  behind  on  first  hearing  the  elephant. 
The  old  porter  climbed  up  a  tall  and  conveniently  slop- 
ing tree  to  reconnoitre.  Whilst  he  was  up  the  tree  I 
could  hear  a  herd  coming  towards  us,  having  evidently 
become  uneasy  from  hearing  the  other  one  stamped- 
ing. I  took  refuge  behind  a  tree  with  the  Kiku}^  as 
they  appeared.  They  passed  at  about  fifteen  yards' 
distance,  one  female  or  unsizable  male  after  another. 

Now  a  tree  is  all  right  to  stand  behind  when  it  is 
between  you  and  the  elephant,  but  when  some  are  one 
side  and  some  another,  one  begins  to  wish  for  a  tree  to 
grow  up  behind  one  as  well  as  in  front.  So  when 
about  five  had  passed  close  by  and  were  standing  just 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING  ii 

behind  me,  and  the  remainder  of  the  herd  began 
to  come  towards  my  tree  with  the  intention  of  passing 
on  both  sides,  I  felt  it  incumbent  on  me  to  make  some 
sort  of  demonstration.  The  next  elephant  was  a 
young  male  who  came  swinging  along  straight  towards 
our  tree,  and  there  were  others  on  each  side  of  him,  so 
at  about  ten  yards  I  planked  him  in  the  forehead  and 
he  dropped  dead,  whilst  the  herd  turned  and  went  back 
the  way  they  had  come. 

I  was  just  looking  at  the  fallen  elephant  and  regretting 
the  accuracy  of  my  aim  when  another  herd  appeared 
on  the  scene,  so  I  ran  back  to  the  shelter  of  my  tree 
whilst  they  trooped  past  at  thirty  yards'  distance.  In 
the  middle  of  the  herd  was  a  sizable  bull,  but  he  was 
surrounded  on  all  sides  by  females  and  young.  I  got 
a  momentary  clear  view  of  his  head,  and  had  a  snap  shot, 
and  he  fell.  Instantly  the  rest  closed  round  him, 
heads  inwards,  to  lift  him  up  with  their  tusks,  and  there 
was  nothing  to  see  but  a  ring  of  sterns.  I  ran  out  from 
my  shelter  to  try  and  get  another  shot,  but  the  next 
moment  they  had  got  him  on  to  his  feet  and,  surrounding 
him  on  all  sides,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  even 
a  glimpse  of  him;  the  whole  herd  bore  down  on  me. 

They  were  not  charging,  they  were  only  stampeding, 
and  I  happened  to  be  in  the  direction  they  had  chosen. 
I  did  not  wait,  but  turned  to  run,  and  looking  over  my 
shoulder  saw  a  perfect  avalanche  of  flesh  bearing  down 
upon  me. 


12     HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

As  often  happens  with  elephant,  they  did  not  go  far, 
but  suddenly  stopped  dead  and  listened.  I  looked 
round  and  saw  that  they  had  stopped,  but  could  not 
see  the  wounded  male.  Just  by  me  was  a  small  tree 
with  sloping  trunk  and  a  fork  about  twelve  feet  up.  I 
thought  that  they  were  unlikely  to  come  my  way 
again,  but  would  go  off  another  way  now,  and  that  if 
I  could  reach  this  fork  I  might  be  able  to  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  bull  over  the  backs  of  the  others.  It  was  a 
ridiculous  thing  to  do,  because  twelve  feet  is  just  about 
level  with  the  elephant's  eye,  and  one  would  have  been  a 
very  conspicuous  object  there. 

Anyhow,  I  commenced  clambering  up  this  tree  as  best 
I  could  with  my  rifle  in  my  hand.  There  was  another  wild 
rush  in  my  direction,  and  just  as  they  reached  within 
a  few  yards  of  my  tree  I  caught  hold  of  a  rotten  branch, 
which  broke,  and  I  fell  heavily  to  the  ground,  not  more 
than  a  few  yards  from  the  feet  of  the  nearest  elephant. 

This  strange  fruit  dropping  off  the  tree  so  startled 
them  that  they  swerved  away  at  right  angles  and 
crashed  into  the  bamboo,  pushing  and  jostling  to  get 
in  front  of  each  other.  As  they  could  only  pass  be- 
tween the  clumps  and  they  all  chose  the  same  two 
clumps,  it  was  almost  half  a  minute  before  the  last 
of  the  herd  had  passed.  The  hind  view  of  them 
charging  and  pushing  each  other,  all  trying  to  get  the 
same  path,  reminded  me  more  than  anything  of  a 
scrum  in  a  Rugby  football  match. 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING  13 

I  saw  my  wounded  bull  again,  reeling  like  a  drunken 
man,  but  by  the  time  I  had  picked  myself  up  and  got  my 
rifle  he  had  passed,  and  there  were  a  number  of  small 
ones  bringing  up  the  rear  who  successfully  blocked  the 
view. 

The  sleeper  with  lion  during  these  events  had  taken 
himself  to  the  top  of  his  tree,  from  which  safe  eminence 
he  directed  operations.  The  Kikuyu,  however,  had 
remained  close  by  me  during  the  first  part  of  these  pro- 
ceedings and  only  made  himself  scarce  when  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  road  of  the  herd.  He  shortly  appeared, 
and  we  went  back  to  the  dead  elephant,  and  the  old 
man  descended  from  his  perch,  but  no  sooner  had  he 
come  down  than  a  herd  came  rushing  through  the 
bamboos  towards  us  and  we  ran  again.  They  came 
up  to  the  dead  elephant  and  then  returned. 

I  began  to  wonder  how  many  herds  there  were  around 
us  and  climbed  up  a  tall  tree  to  investigate.  Owing 
to  the  thickness  of  the  bamboos  I  could  see  nothing 
from  there,  but  heard  what  I  took  to  be  the  wounded 
elephant  staggering  and  stumbling  about  a  little  way 
down  the  slope  of  the  hill.  I  decided  to  investigate, 
but  the  sleeper  with  lion  preferred  to  remain  up  his 
tree,  and  he  did  not  come  down  again  during  the  rest 
of  the  morning. 

I  crept  towards  the  sounds  down  an  elephant  path  in 
the  bamboos  and  presently  saw  the  back  of  the  head  and 
part  of  the  body  of  what  I  took  to  be  the  wounded  one. 


14     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

I  tried  for  the  back  of  the  ear,  but  could  not  get  a  clear 
shot;  however  he  dropped  to  the  shot  and  then  there 
was  a  wild  screaming  and  breaking  of  bamboos  as  a 
herd  came  rushing  towards  me.  I  hurriedly  put  an- 
other shot  into  the  fallen  elephant,  and  then  scrambled 
back  up  the  slope  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  the  groimd 
was  level  and  one  could  move  about  better. 

They  appeared  by  the  sounds  to  have  reached  the 
spot  where  the  wounded  elephant  lay,  and  then  moved 
off.  I  waited  till  all  was  quiet  again  and  then  returned 
to  investigate.  The  wounded  elephant  was  no  longer 
there,  but  I  heard  bodies  moving  about  in  the  bamboo 
but  could  not  see  more  than  a  few  yards,  owing  to  its 
density.  Close  to  where  the  elephant  had  been  lying 
there  was  a  sapling,  and  I  clambered  up  this  to  try  if 
I  could  see  anything.  When  I  reached  a  fork  about 
ten  feet  up  three  female  elephant  appeared  and  passed 
and  then  returned,  and  stood  about  thirty  yards  be- 
low my  tree  with  their  trunks  curling  in  the  air,  test- 
ing the  wind.  They  moved  backwards  and  forwards 
several  times,  and  then  passed  out  of  sight,  and  I  re- 
turned again  to  the  dead  elephant. 

I  then  called  for  the  porters  I  had  left  behind  to 
come  and  cut  it  up,  and  while  doing  this  we  went 
back  a  little  way  and  heard  other  elephant  uncon- 
cernedly feeding  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley.  The 
porters  arrived  after  making  detour  to  avoid  them,  and 
I   sat   down  and  made  some  cocoa,   thinking  that  I 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING  15 

would  give  the  elephant  time  to  clear  off  before  fol- 
lowing the  wounded  one. 

After  the  operation  of  cutting  up  the  elephant  had 
been  proceeding  for  about  an  hour,  there  was  suddenly 
a  wild  rush,  and  trumpetings  in  the  bamboo  close 
at  hand.  We  turned  and  fled,  I  leaving  my  cocoa 
on  the  ground.  A  herd  rushed  up  close  to  the  dead 
elephant  and  then  returned  back  into  the  thicker 
bamboo.  After  all  was  quiet  again  we  came  back, 
all  of  us  very  jumpy  by  this  time. 

After  finishing  my  cocoa  I  thought  I  would  have 
another  try  to  find  the  wounded  elephant.  My  men 
tried  to  persuade  me  not  to,  and  stood  by  the  dead 
elephant  howling  to  me  to  come  back  all  the  time,  but 
it  seemed  a  pity  not  to  have  another  try.  So  I  re- 
turned to  the  place  at  which  the  elephant  had  fallen, 
picked  up  the  blood  spoor,  and  began  following  it. 
Every  now  and  then  I  heard  some  big  body  moving  in 
the  bamboos,  and,  when  after  going  a  little  way,  I 
heard  elephant  moving  on  both  sides  and  in  front 
at  the  same  time,  I  got  an  attack  of  cold  feet  and 
returned  to  the  dead  elephant,  where  my  men  were 
shouting  lustily  for  me. 

Taking  the  fat  and  some  meat  we  then  started  to 
make  our  way  back,  but  on  all  sides  we  heard  the 
cracking  of  bamboo  from  different  herds  grazing 
unconcernedly,  as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  disturb 
them.     When  we  finally  got  through  the  ring  of  ele- 


i6     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

phant  and  left  the  sounds  behind  us,  we  all  breathed 
freely,  as  they  had  got  on  our  nerves.  We  had  run  into 
elephant  at  about  6.30  or  7  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  they  had  been  close  round  us  on  all  sides  from 
that  time  till  we  left  at  about  i  o'clock,  although 
several  shots  had  been  fired,  one  elephant  killed  and 
another  wounded,  and  they  must  have  had  our  wind 
often  enough. 

I  have  never  experienced  or  even  heard  of  anything 
like  it  before  or  since,  and,  if  a  stranger  had  told  me  that 
anything  of  the  kind  had  happened  to  him  before  this 
occurrence,  I  should  have  most  certainly  doubted  his 
veracity.  As  a  rule,  one  shot  or  one  whiff  of  a  human 
being  is  enough  to  stampede  a  herd  or  group  of  herds 
right  out  of  a  neighbourhood. 

We  made  our  way  down  the  hill  and  back  to  my  camp 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  On  the  way  one  of  the 
porters  got  lost,  and  after  shouting  for  him  for  about 
half  an  hour  we  went  on.  Suddenly  there  was  a  loud 
clatter  and  rustling  amongst  the  bamboo  which  made 
us  all  start,  and  the  old  sleeper  with  lions  nearly  jumped 
out  of  his  skin.  Someone  said  "Baboon,"  and  we  all 
laughed  except  the  old  man,  who  asked  indignantly, 
''Who  is  afraid?" 

We  got  back  to  camp  just  after  sunset,  and  I  sent  a 
search  party  out  along  the  foot  of  the  hills  with  a 
lantern  to  look  for  the  missing  porter.  They  returned 
with  him  shortly ;  he  had  dropped  his  load,  and  his 


ELEPHANT  HUNTING  17 

clothes  were  torn  to  ribbons.  He  said  that  he  had 
missed  us  about  an  hour  or  so  after  we  started  back 
and  had  taken  a  lower  path  down  the  side  of  the  hill, 
where  he  had  come  into  another  lot  of  elephant,  and 
had  run  away  from  them,  hence  the  loss  of  his  load 
and  his  torn  clothes. 

It  is  dijQBicultto  combine  the  absorbing  task  of  hunting 
elephant  with  a  conscientious  performance  of  one's 
work,  and,  if  one  tries  to,  the  chances  are  one  does  both 
badly.  In  this  case  I  was  imable  to  devote  another  day 
to  the  following  of  the  wounded  elephant.  "It  was 
the  two  paths  which  defeated  the  old  hyaena,"  said 
one  of  the  Swahilis  to  console  me  for  my  disappoint- 
ment, referring  to  a  folk-lore  story  in  which  a  hyaena 
came  to  the  fork  of  two  paths  and  could  not  make  up 
his  mind  which  to  take.  Finally  his  right  legs  tried 
to  take  the  right-hand  path  and  his  left  legs  the  left- 
hand  one,  and  he  split  in  two. 

My  survey  work  subsequently  took  me  to  the  highest 
peak  of  this  part  of  the  range,  and  I  was  camped  for 
two  days  at  an  altitude  of  about  twelve  thousand  feet. 
I  also  crossed  the  high  road  back  at  the  other  end  of  the 
range,  but  I  came  across  no  more  elephant,  and  I  was 
too  occupied  with  my  work  to  be  able  to  leave  it  and  go 
off  to  hunt.  Moreover,  as  we  had  just  come  to  an  end 
of  the  porters'  food  I  had  to  hurry  on  to  the  Kikuyu 
villages  at  the  foot  of  the  range. 


CHAPTER  II 

NATIVE  TRACKERS 

As  it  seldom  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  white  man  in  Africa 
to  find  an  instructor  of  his  own  colour,  he  generally 
has  to  pick  up  a  knowledge  of  bushcraft  through  long, 
and  sometimes  bitter,  experience,  with  the  help  of  the 
natives  he  is  amongst.  As  the  latter  are  seldom  able 
to  impart  the  information  they  possess,  he  must  needs 
learn  from  them  by  observation  and  deduction.  Some 
white  men  appear  to  have  not  only  picked  up  what  bush- 
craft  they  know  from  contact  with  natives,  but  also 
their  sporting  code  from  the  same  source.  All  is  grist 
to  the  native  mill,  and  he  generally  tries  to  entice  his 
master  into  indiscriminate  and  senseless  slaughter. 
He  has  no  idea  of  the  sporting  instinct,  as  we  know  it, 
and  only  hunts  with  the  idea  of  getting  unlimited  meat. 

In  tracking,  however,  he  is  often  very  proficient,  but 
different  tribes  and  different  natives  vary  enormously 
in  this  respect,  and  it  makes  a  great  difference  to 
the  sportsman  what  sort  of  natives  he  first  gets 
hold  of. 

There  was  an  old  man  who  engaged  himself  to  me  as  a 
tracker  in  my  early  days,  whose  methods  puzzled  me  for 

i8 


NATIVE   TRACKERS  19 

a  long  time.  On  finding  a  track  he  used  generally  to 
foUow  it  back  a  few  hundred  yards  and  then  branch 
off  at  right  angles  to  it.  It  was  only  after  he  had  been 
with  me  a  month  that  I  discovered  his  actions  were  not 
instigated  by  reasons  so  subtle  that  they  were  incompre- 
hensible, but  that  he  was  an  absolute  duffer. 

In  British  East  Africa  there  appears  to  be  an  utter 
dearth  of  trackers.  During  three  years  of  trekking  in  the 
country  and  constantly  trying  new  natives,  I  never  hit 
on  a  single  one  who  was  any  use  whatever.  Even  men 
who  lived  by  hunting  were  nothing  wonderful  in  their 
own  forests,  whilst  once  they  left  these  they  were  per- 
fectly useless.  The  latter,  though,  have  one  great  point 
to  commend  them,  and  it  is  that  they  hxmt  in  silence. 
They  refrain  from  talking  loudly  and  tread  lightly  and 
silently.  Many  of  the  best  trackers  amongst  other 
tribes  seem  to  imagine  that  all  game  is  stone  deaf. 
Nothing  can  induce  them,  as  a  rule,  to  keep  their 
mouths  shut,  and  many  of  them  walk  clumsily  and 
noisily. 

Often  when  I  have  been  trekking  along  with  a  party 
of  men  or  porters,  I  have  turned  to  a  boy  orderly  or  gun- 
bearer  and  said,  "TeU  them  to  keep  their  mouths  shut 
or  else  there  will  be  no  meat  for  them  to-day."  The 
individual  so  addressed  generally  turns  and  yells  at 
the  men  behind  him,  expatiating  on  the  virtues  of 
silence  at  great  length,  and  in  a  voice  sufficiently  loud 
to  scare  any  game  for  miles  round. 


20      HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Perhaps  it  is,  however,  that  each  native  thinks  he  him- 
self possesses  a  soft  and  gentle  voice  and  that  it  is  only 
his  fellows  who  are  loud  and  raucous.  As  the  Swahilis 
say,  "A  baboon  sees  not  his  own  stern  callosities,  he  only 
sees  those  of  his  fellows." 

I  was  quietly  fishing  on  the  Loangwa  River  one  after- 
noon when  a  Puku  put  his  head  out  of  the  grass  on  the 
opposite  bank,  and  then  came  down  to  drink  at  the 
river.  To  see  a  wild  animal  drink  is  a  sufficiently  rare 
sight  to  be  worth  watching.  As  a  rule,  they  only  drink 
at  night  or  very  early  morning.  This  was  in  broad 
daylight,  at  3.30  in  the  afternoon.  Fortunately  the 
native  tracker  with  me  did  not  see  him  at  first.  When 
he  did  he  gave  a  long-drawn  Oh  !  and  then  an  Ah  !  fol- 
lowed by  an  Ogwe !  all  noises  expressive  of  interest 
and  astonishment,  but  which  had  the  effect  of  sending 
the  Puku  back  to  cover  before  the  completion  of  his 
drink. 

In  Nyasaland  and  North  Eastern  Rhodesia  practi- 
cally all  the  natives  are  fair  trackers,  and  some  are  very 
good.  Almost  any  man  picked  out  at  random  from 
one's  porters,  soldiers,  or  servants  would  be  better  than 
the  best  tracker  I  have  met  with  in  British  East  Africa. 
At  Fort  Miangeni  there  used  to  be  a  man  whose  spe- 
ciality was  sable.  It  really  was  marvellous  the  way  he 
always  managed  to  find  them. 

I  was  out  with  him  one  day  and  we  found  the  old 
tracks  of  a  bull,  perhaps  they  were  of  the  evening  before. 


NATIVE   TRACKERS  21 

He  followed  them  a  short  way  and  then  struck  off  and 
made  for  a  little  round  hill,  an  underfeature  to  a  range. 
Climbing  this,  he  made  another  native  with  him  sit 
down  on  one  side  of  the  hill  and  told  him  to  watch  the 
opposite  slope.  He  then  posted  himself  on  the  other 
side  and  we  sat  quietly  and  waited.  We  had  been  there 
perhaps  an  hour  when  along  came  a  fine  bull  sable.  He 
told  me  afterwards  that  it  was  the  same  as  that  of 
which  we  had  seen  the  tracks.  I  had  no  means  of 
verifying  this,  but  I  quite  believe  him,  as  he  knew  the 
hills  and  the  sable  and  their  ways  upside  down. 

I  was  very  fortunate  in  my  trackers  for  the  last  two 
years  I  was  in  Nyasaland.  I  had  three  in  constant  use, 
whose  names  were  Ulaya,  Chimalambe  and  Matola. 
Ulaya  was  a  real  genius  at  tracking.  In  the  early 
morning  or  the  beginning  of  a  track  he  was  wonderful, 
but  he  soon  got  disheartened  and  bored,  and  then  he 
was  perfectly  useless.  He  had  none  of  that  "infinite  ca- 
pacity for  taking  pains,"  most  erroneous  description  of 
genius,  which  poor  old  Chimalambe  possessed  in  his 
pig-headed,  plodding  way. 

For  the  first  hour  or  so  Ulaya  used  to  fly  away  with 
the  track ;  he  was  practically  never  at  fault  and  not  a 
sign  escaped  him.  If  after  that  time  the  track  was  stiU 
old,  he  generally  used  to  sit  down  and  say  it  was  no  good, 
and  nothing  would  induce  him  to  take  any  further 
trouble  over  it.  Chimalambe  then  took  up  the  spoor- 
ing and  for  hour  after  hour  he  would  slowly  and  pain- 


22      HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

fuUy  worry  it  out,  making  frequent  mistakes,  losing  the 
track,  and  returning  to  pick  it  up  again,  but  he  was  pre- 
pared to  go  on  in  the  same  way  aU  day.  Meanwhile 
Ulaya  used  to  follow  with  a  bored,  disinterested  air; 
occasionally  when  the  spoor  was  lost  he  used  to  point 
it  out  with  a  pained  expression,  but  more  often  he  sat 
down  and  watched  Chimalambe  muddle  it  out. 

Matola  was  my  orderly;  he  was  neither  the  brilliant 
genius  nor  the  pig-headed  plodder,  but  just  a  sound, 
sensible  fellow  and  a  good  soldier,  as  I  will  try  to  show 
later.  When  it  came  to  close  quarters  with  elephant, 
rhino,  and  buffalo  it  was  always  a  case  of  "please  step 
in  front  Private  Matola,"  whilst  Ulaya  and  Chimalambe 
used  to  dally  behind  to  explain  to  each  other  how  it 
really  ought  to  be  done. 

In  1904  I  trekked  up  to  Lake  Bangweolo  with  these 
three.  I  managed  to  get  specimens  of  the  black  Lechwe, 
and  hoped  also  to  get  Situtunga,  but  in  this  I  was  dis- 
appointed. I  could  not  get  any  of  the  local  natives 
nor  my  trackers  to  realise  that  I  was  serious  in  my  de- 
sire to  lead  an  amphibious  existence  in  the  swamps 
and  spend  a  lot  of  time  and  trouble  in  the  hope  of  get- 
ting this  one  animal.  From  their  point  of  view,  it  must 
have  seemed  ridiculous.  The  flats  were  swarming  with 
Sassaby  and  other  game  to  be  had  for  the  shooting. 
To  leave  all  this  meat  walking  about,  and  court  certain 
discomfort  and  every  probability  of  disappointment 
in  the  swamps,  on  the  very  off  chance  of  getting  another 


NATIVE   TRACKERS  23 

kind  of  meat,  must  have  appeared  sheer  madness  to 
them. 

Hence  whenever  I  asked  about  Situtunga  the  natives 
rephed  that  there  was  much  meat  on  the  plains  and 
they  did  their  best  to  put  me  off.  It  was  not  only  be- 
cause they  thought  of  themselves  and  the  meat  they 
would  miss,  but  also  they  thought  that  they  would 
save  me  disappointment  by  feigning  entire  ignorance  of 
Situtunga. 

I  took  Ulaya  out  in  a  canoe  in  the  swamps  one  day, 
but  his  pained  and  resigned  look  was  so  depressing 
that  I  never  did  it  again.  Without  the  whole-hearted 
assistance  of  the  natives  of  the  country,  and  Ulaya, 
who  was  the  only  one  that  knew  their  language,  it  was 
impossible  to  do  much,  and  the  ways  into  the  swamp 
were  difficult  to  find.  After  I  had  spent  all  the  time  I 
could  spare  and  only  just  penetrated  the  fringe,  we 
moved  on  northwards. 

We  crossed  the  Chambezi  River,  and  here  I  got  news  of 
elephant.  One  day  I  started  out  at  5  a.m.  from  a  place 
called  Chimutu.  After  a  roimd  unproductive  of  any 
result  we  struck  a  village  at  about  noon.  As  we  had 
been  a  long  detour  in  the  bush  I  thought  that  it  could 
not  be  so  very  far  from  my  last  night's  camp,  so  sent 
back  for  it  and  then  proceeded  again. 

We  got  back  to  this  village  in  the  evening,  but  there 
was  no  news  of  the  camp,  so  I  settled  down  to  make  my- 
self as  comfortable  as  possible  under  the  circumstances. 


24     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

The  chief  produced  food  for  my  men  and  I  had  my  can- 
teen with  me.  I  got  a  mat  from  the  village  and  spread 
it  before  a  fire  and  brewed  myself  some  cocoa.  I  also 
had  a  camp  pie  and  some  bread,  so  I  proceeded  to  open 
the  former. 

It  was  in  one  of  those  tins  that  open  with  a  key  which 
rolls  off  a  strip  of  tin.  As  so  often  happens  with  them, 
directly  I  started  turning  the  key  the  strip  of  tin  broke 
off  flush,  leaving  nothing  for  the  key  to  get  hold  of. 
It  was  then  necessary  to  cut  a  tongue  of  tin  to  give  the 
key  a  fresh  bit  to  grip  on,  a  proceeding  somewhat 
damaging  to  one's  hunting  knife. 

Having  done  this,  I  placed  my  knife  on  a  tree  stump 
by  me  and  tried  again.  The  new  strip  broke  away, 
so  I  had  to  have  recourse  to  the  knife  again.  As  I  was 
cutting  away  I  heard  someone  come  quietly  up  behind 
me,  and  looking  round,  saw  that  it  was  Matola  standing 
to  attention.  Having  prepared  a  new  strip  I  was  put- 
ting the  knife  down  again,  when  a  hand  came  forward 
to  hold  it  for  me.  Again  the  strip  broke  and  the  hand 
reappeared  with  a  knife,  but  this  time  it  was  his  knife, 
and  not  mine,  which  was  blunted  on  the  tin. 

This  quiet  though tfulness  often  shown  by  the  Bantu 
native  is  a  very  pleasing  trait.  The  above  incident 
reminded  me  of  a  time,  when  in  Somaliland,  I  had  asked 
a  Somali  to  lend  me  his  knife  to  cut  something  with, 
not  a  tin,  but  a  bit  of  string  or  something  which  could  not 
possibly  have  done  any  harm  to  it.     The  Somali  did 


Belgian  Postes  in  the  Lado 
The  top  picture  shows  the  station  of  Yei  and  the  bottom  that  at  Loka. 


NATIVE   TRACKERS  25 

not  proffer  his  knife,  but  commenced  to  haggle  with  me 
as  to  what  I  should  give  him,  if  he  allowed  me  to  have 
the  privilege  of  using  it. 

The  Somalis  are  the  most  grasping  natives  it  has  been 
my  misfortune  to  meet.  In  1900  I  was  at  Berbera 
with  Captain  Bruce,  R.A.,  who  was  afterwards  killed 
in  that  country.  We  were  engaged  in  sending  caravans 
up  country.  It  was  very  hot,  and  we  f oimd  the  Somali 
extremely  trying  to  the  temper.  When  we  were  very 
upset  we  used  to  relieve  our  feelings  by  writing  eulogia 
on  the  Somali  character.  The  only  one  I  can  now  re- 
member anything  of  was  one  that  began,  "Courteous, 
brave,  generous  to  a  fault,  the  Somali,  etc." 

To  continue,  having  successfully  opened  the  tin  and 
fed  off  its  contents,  I  made  myself  comfortable  for  the 
night  on  my  mat.  Shortty  afterwards  I  heard  the 
cheery  voices  of  my  porters  singing  in  the  dark,  and 
presently  they  appeared.  Having  resigned  myself  to 
spend  an  uncomfortable  night,  it  was  very  pleasant  to 
see  the  sudden  and  unexpected  arrival  of  all  the  comforts 
of  civilisation.  As  I  sat  on  my  mat  watching  every- 
body bustling  roimd  to  minister  to  my  comfort,  I  felt 
that  my  position  was  somewhat  analogous  to  that  of 
the  slave-raiding  ant  with  all  his  attendant  slave  ants 
waiting  on  him.  One  was  putting  up  the  camp  table 
and  chair,  another  the  bed,  a  boy  called  the  hyaena  had 
got  out  a  box  of  cigars,  guessing  that  they  would  be  the 
first  thing  I  would  want,  another  was  preparing  the 


26     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

coffee  pot,  Matola  was  getting  out  the  rifle  oil  and 
cleaning  material,  others  were  putting  up  the  tent. 

It  was  late  before  we  got  j5xed  up,  and  then  I  had  the 
dinner  I  so  nearly  missed.  Next  morning  we  did  not  get 
the  loads  packed  up  and  started  till  8  o'clock.  After 
going  two  hours  we  found  spoor  of  the  night  before. 
Fortunately  there  was  water  quite  close,  so  leaving  word 
for  the  porters  to  pitch  camp  there,  we  started  off. 

The  spoor  seemed  fairly  fresh  at  first,  and  got  older  in 
appearance  as  we  proceeded.  This  is  caused  by  the 
difference  in  the  effect  on  the  spoor  of  the  sun.  It  was 
perhaps  six  hours  old  when  we  found  it,  but  it  had  passed 
those  six  hours  in  the  shade.  As  the  sun  mounts  up 
and  gets  stronger,  spoor  of  the  same  age  looks  much 
older  and  drier.  Leaves  dropped  and  grass  and  shoots 
crushed  down  or  kicked  up  look  quite  fresh  after  lying 
all  night  in  the  cool  air  with  the  dew  on  them.  A  few 
hours  of  sun,  however,  soon  shrivels  them  up. 

Many  elephant  had  been  about,  and  the  grass  was  dry 
and  the  ground  hard,  so  it  required  considerable  dis- 
cernment to  hold  our  track  amongst  all  the  others.  As 
usual,  XJlaya  was  very  keen  for  the  first  hour  or  so,  and 
worked  out  the  spoor  at  a  rapid  pace.  After  that  he 
grew  disheartened  and  bored,  as  we  seemed  to  have 
rather  lost  than  gained,  and  so  for  the  rest  of  the  day 
Matola  came  in  for  the  lion's  share  of  the  work. 

At  one  o'clock  the  wind  came  in  puffs  from  different 
directions  with  distant  thunder,  a  hopeless  state  of 


NATIVE  TRACKERS  27 

affairs  when  after  elephant.  The  track  was  of  three 
animals,  a  bull,  cow,  and  young  one.  As  we  followed  I 
noticed  at  one  place  that  the  bull  had  passed  between 
two  trees  only  about  a  yard  apart  at  their  bases,  a 
circumstance  from  which  I  did  not  draw  the  deduc- 
tion I  should  have  done. 

At  four  o'clock  the  spoor  was  still  old,  we  had  not 
halted  since  we  had  started  eight  hours  before,  and  we 
were  all  rather  done  and  had  given  up  hope.  We  had 
just  stopped  by  a  tree  which  had  been  pulled  down, 
and  were  feeling  the  leaves  that  had  been  dropped  to 
see  how  dry  they  were,  and  I  had  half  decided  to  aban- 
don the  hunt.  At  this  moment  one  of  the  men  who 
had  gone  forward  a  little  whistled,  and  immediately 
everybody  made  themselves  scarce. 

The  elephant  were  returning  along  their  tracks.  A 
young  bull  was  leading;  behind  him  I  could  see  the 
ears  of  another,  but  not  what  sort  of  tusks  it  had. 

The  young  bull  walked  straight  towards  me,  but 
stopped  twenty  yards  off  and  began  pulling  a  tree 
down.  I  hoped  that  those  behind  would  come  up  into 
view  before  he  had  finished,  but  the  one  behind  him 
went  off  to  one  side  and  I  could  not  see  it  clearly  because 
of  the  branches. 

Presently  the  small  bull  commenced  coming  towards 
me  again ;  if  I  crossed  to  look  at  the  other,  I  must  give 
him  my  wind.  This  I  decided  to  do,  and  ran  across  to 
the  other  one,  hoping  to  see  it  and  get  a  shot  before  the 


28     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

alarm  was  given.  The  small  bull  gave  the  alarm,  and 
ran  back  to  the  second  elephant,  who  pricked  up  its 
ears.  I  then  saw  that  it  was  a  female,  but  it  had 
very  big  tusks  for  a  female.  I  took  a  shot  at  her,  but 
I  was  unsteady  with  my  run  and  the  whole  day  in  the 
sun,  and  did  not  knock  her  over.  She  crossed,  and  I 
fired  a  couple  more  shots  at  her.  At  the  same  time  a 
terrific  trumpeting  was  heard  from  just  behind. 

I  thought  that  I  was  all  alone,  but  at  this  moment 
Matola  appeared  and  said  "Don't  go  that  way,  that  is 
father  and  he  is  a  Nyungwa  (tuskless  bull),"  He  had 
seen  him  whilst  I  had  been  engaged  with  the  female. 
Matola  had  the  most  wonderful  way  of  vanishing  en- 
tirely and  always  appearing  again  when  he  was  wanted. 

We  hurried  after  the  female  and  the  Galongwa  (young 
bull)  and  the  other  men  with  me  reappeared  from  behind 
trees  and  ant-hills  in  the  most  miraculous  way.  Pres- 
ently they  all  fled  again.  The  Galongwa  was  coming 
back  on  our  wind.  Father  was  screaming  in  one  di- 
rection and  the  female  had  gone  off  in  another.  What 
made  this  youngster  leave  his  mother  and  come  straight 
back  up  the  wind  at  us  I  cannot  imagine,  unless  it  was 
pure  deviltry. 

I  did  not  want  to  shoot  it,  so  got  behind  a  tree  as  it 
came  trotting  up.  Matola  had  vanished,  as  usual, 
whilst  I  saw  Ulaya  and  Chimalambe  running  away  for 
all  they  were  worth.  It  struck  me  that  it  would  be 
intensely  amusing  to  see  the  Galongwa  chase  them,  as 


NATIVE  TRACKERS  29 

he  was  going  in  their  direction,  and  was  just  passing 
my  tree. 

However,  I  did  not  have  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing 
this  hunt,  as  he  pulled  up  sharp  ten  yards  from  my  tree 
and  turned  on  me,  a  contingency  I  had  not  expected. 
The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  down  him,  and  so  I  reluc- 
tantly fired  at  his  head  and  dropped  him.  I  went  up  in 
front  of  him,  but  he  was  not  dead  and  commenced  to 
get  up  again.  I  put  another  shot  in  his  forehead,  but 
it  did  not  reach  the  brain,  and  the  next  moment  it  was 
I  who  was  being  chased,  besides  being  defrauded  of 
the  sight  I  had  looked  forward  to,  of  seeing  fat  Ulaya 
do  the  hundred  at  his  best  pace  with  the  Galongwa 
after  him. 

I  dodged  sharply  to  my  right,  thinking  that  the  ele- 
phant would  pass,  and  I  would  get  a  side  shot  as  he  did 
so,  but  I  tripped  over  a  fallen  tree,  perhaps  one  he  had 
pulled  down  earlier  in  the  day.  I  went  sprawling, 
dropping  my  rifle,  and  just  managed  to  seize  it  by  the 
miizzle  as  the  elephant  was  about  to  tread  on  it.  I  then 
dived  head  foremost  into  the  branches  of  the  fallen  tree. 

I  made  frantic  efforts  to  crawl  through,  but  a  stout 
branch  resisted  my  progress,  and  at  the  same  moment 
the  Galongwa  pushed  in  after  me,  and  pushed  me  through 
the  branches  to  the  other  side.  Two  drops  of  blood 
from  his  forehead  fell  on  my  shorts,  one  on  the  thigh 
and  one  on  the  knee.  Instead  of  pushing  me  straight 
through  in  front  of  him,  though,  he  kicked  me  sideways. 


30     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

The  impetus  he  gave  me  bent  aside  the  stubborn  branch, 
and  the  next  moment  I  found  myself  crawling  out  on 
hands  and  knees  on  one  side  of  the  tree,  with  rifle  still 
grasped  by  the  muzzle,  whilst  the  elephant  was  execut- 
ing a  dance  and  stamping  up  the  ground  the  other 
side,  five  yards  from  me,  evidently  thinking  that  I  was 
under  his  feet. 

I  quickly  changed  my  rifle  round  and  discharged  it 
into  his  stern.  It  was  the  last  cartridge  in  the  rifle. 
Having  fired,  the  rifle  was  taken  out  of  my  hands,  and 
I  found  Matola,  who  had  counted  the  shots,  standing 
beside  me,  serving  me  the  second  rifle  as  a  waiter  might 
offer  a  dish.  By  some  oversight  it  had  not  been  loaded, 
and  I  had  given  strict  orders  that  none  of  my  men  were 
ever  to  load  or  unload  my  rifles.  Being  a  good  soldier, 
Matola  had  not  disobeyed  this  order,  even  under  these 
extreme  circumstances,  but  had  gone  the  nearest  to 
loading  it  he  could.  The  breech  was  open,  and  he  was 
holding  the  clip  in  position  with  his  thumb  just  over 
the  magazine.  All  I  had  to  do  was  to  press  it  down, 
as  I  took  hold  of  the  rifle,  close  the  bolt,  and  I  was 
ready  to  fire.  The  elephant  was  turning  round,  and  I 
shot  him  in  the  brain,  dropping  him  dead. 

The  story  has  taken  a  long  time  to  tell,  but  of  course 
it  all  happened  in  a  moment.  I  think  as  an  example  of 
a  combination  of  pluck,  discipline,  and  presence  of  mind 
in  a  sudden  emergency,  the  behaviour  of  Private  Matola 
would  be  difficult  to  beat. 


NATIVE   TRACKERS  31 

We  returned  to  camp,  arriving  after  dark.  Ulaya 
and  Chimalambe  were  full  of  the  day's  adventures,  and 
told  the  story  of  how  we  had  been  chased  by  the  Ga- 
longAva  over  and  over  again  to  an  admiring  audience. 
I  noticed  that  Matola's  name  did  not  figure  at  all  in 
their  narration.  A  listener  would  have  thought  that 
Ulaya  and  Chimalambe  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
day's  proceedings,  whilst  Matola,  if  he  had  been  present 
at  all,  had  been  a  distant  spectator.  Matola,  having 
cleaned  the  rifles,  retired  to  sleep,  and  did  not  take  part 
in  the  discussion. 

About  the  third  time  they  got  to  the  point  at  which 
the  elephant  rushed  up  to  them,  I  put  my  head  out  of 
my  tent  and  asked  if  they  had  seen  what  happened. 
Of  course  they  had,  how  absurd;  were  they  not  present  ? 
"Well,  you  must  have  very  good  eyesight,"  I  replied, 
"  because  after  it  was  over  Matola  and  I  looked  for  you 
everywhere,  and  at  last  we  thought  that  you  must  have 
run  all  the  way  back  to  camp." 

It  was  rather  mean  of  me,  because  they  had  not  really 
run  very  far,  and,  neither  of  them  having  the  second  rifle, 
there  was  no  real  reason  for  them  to  stop.  It  annoyed 
me,  however,  that  Matola,  who  had  behaved  so  well, 
should  be  left  completely  out  of  it.  Moreover,  Matola's 
lack  of  interest  in  the  matter  might  easily  have  been 
interpreted  by  those  who  had  not  been  present  as 
shame  or  chagrin  at  not  having  shared  in  the  glorious 
doings  of  the  others. 


CHAPTER  III 

ABOUT  EHINO 

A  RHINO  is  generally  a  very  easily  killed  animal.  If 
you  can  get  him  broadside  on  with  a  big  bore  he  almost 
always  sits  down  at  once.  Facing  he  is  less  easy  to  kill, 
and  if  moving,  often  a  very  difficult  shot  indeed. 

In  British  East  Africa,  where  he  is  plentiful  and  can 
be  found  in  open  country,  there  is  nothing  in  killing  a 
rhino.  In  Nyasaland  and  North  Eastern  Rhodesia, 
however,  where  he  is  more  scarce  and  always  found  in 
thick  grass  or  bush,  he  is  really  a  very  sporting  animal 
to  shoot.  The  natives  there  fear  him  more  than  any 
of  the  dangerous  game,  partly  because  he  is  really  dan- 
gerous in  their  country,  and  partly  because,  owing  to  his 
scarcity,  they  have  not  grown  accustomed  to  him. 
They  have  not  had  a  chance  to  cultivate  a  sufficiency 
of  that  familiarity  with  him  which  breeds  contempt.  In 
the  latter  countries  he  seems  to  walk  much  farther  and 
has  to  be  generally  tracked  up  all  day  like  elephant, 
instead  of  being  come  upon  by  chance  as  in  East 
Africa. 

I  have  shot  a  good  many  rhinos  in  East  Africa  and  in 
the  Lado,  when  under  the  Belgians,  during  the  ordinary 

32 


ABOUT   RHINO  33 


course  of  trekking,  either  when  in  want  of  meat  or  be- 
cause they  came  uncomfortably  close  to  one's  porters. 
Less  often  I  have  killed  them  to  make  up  my  license  or 
because  I  thought  the  horns  were  good.  However,  I 
have  never  taken  any  interest  in  shooting  them;  it 
always  appeared  tame  and  uninteresting,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  few  occasions  when  they  came  through 
my  porters,  in  which  case  it  was  too  disconcerting  to  be 
pleasant.  In  Nyasaland  and  North  Eastern  Rhodesia, 
however,  the  hunting  of  rhino  was  quite  different,  and 
killing  one  seemed  a  feat  quite  worthy  of  accomplish- 
ment. No  doubt  this  was  largely  due  to  the  difficulty 
in  finding  him. 

Whilst  hunting  near  Lake  Bangweolo  I  followed  one 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  and  finally  crept  up, 
closely  followed  by  the  faithful  Matola,  within  five 
yards  of  where  he  lay,  heavily  breathing  in  thick  grass. 
Even  then  it  was  so  thick  that  I  could  not  see  him  prop- 
erly, and  bungled  the  shot,  and  he  crashed  off  with  a 
noise  like  an  infuriated  steam  engine.  We  tracked  him 
tiU  dark,  but  did  not  come  up  with  him  again. 

This  particular  rhino  followed  close  to  the  edge  of  a 
grass  fire  for  several  miles.  I  have  often  read,  and  been 
told,  of  wild  animals'  fear  of  fire,  but  never  myself 
noticed  anything  to  corroborate  this  idea.  In  fact, 
rather  the  reverse.  I  have  often  put  up  game  lying 
peacefully  quite  close  to  a  bush  fire.  These  grass  fires 
are  of  yearly  occurrence,  and  the  game  must  be  well 


34     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

accustomed  to  them.  It  is  only  when  surrounded  by  a 
fire  rmg  that  they  lose  their  heads,  and  indeed  this  must 
be  a  very  alarming  occurrence,  especially  if  there  are  hun- 
dreds of  natives  at  the  same  time  shouting  from  all  sides. 

In  Nyasaland  and  North  Eastern  Rhodesia  the  ele- 
phant are  often  very  bold  at  night,  and  after  the  harvest 
calmly  walk  into  the  villages,  pull  the  roofs  off  the 
nkokwes,  or  grainstores,  and  help  themselves  to  the 
maize  cobs.  When  this  happens,  or  they  have  been  very 
persistent  in  entering  the  plantations  at  night  before 
harvest  time,  the  natives  make  large  fires  in  their 
fields,  and  spend  the  night  shouting  and  beating  drums 
to  frighten  them  away.  Even  this  often  does  not  deter 
them,  and  they  visit  the  fields  all  the  same.  When, 
however,  they  are  kept  off,  I  fancy  the  shouting  and  the 
drumming  have  more  effect  than  the  fires. 

To  return  to  the  rhino,  after  the  ease  with  which  one 
has  shot  him  in  other  places,  it  seems  odd  to  read  the 
pages  of  one's  diary  and  notice  the  long  tracks  after  him, 
the  excitement  when  he  commenced  nibbling  thorn, 
which  showed  that  he  would  soon  lie  up,  and  the  trouble 
one  took  to  bring  him  to  bag  in  Nyasaland.  As  I  have 
said,  he  travels  much  farther  there  and  in  North  East- 
ern Rhodesia,  and  one  has  to  foUow  him  for  long  dis- 
tances. As  often  as  not  one  picks  up  his  night's  tracks 
at  a  water  hole.  He  often  goes  tremendous  distances 
to  and  from  water,  and  perhaps  his  grazing  grounds  are 
seven  to  ten  miles  from  the  place  at  which  he  drank. 


ABOUT  RHINO  35 


In  1905  I  was  looking  for  elephant  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Manning.  I  had  no  thought  of  rhino,  but  was 
anxious  to  shoot  the  elephant  on  my  new  license,  as  the 
old  one  had  just  expired.  I  was  following  an  old  ele- 
phant track  across  a  dambo,  or  open  grassy  fiat,  when 
I  met  a  fresh  spoor  crossing  at  right  angles.  The  grass 
was  very  thick,  and  the  track  showed  as  a  beaten  down 
lane  of  grass,  but  it  was  not  immediately  apparent  what 
had  caused  it,  as  the  grass  was  too  thick  under  foot  for 
any  spoor  to  be  seen.  I  turned  up  the  track  for  a  few 
yards,  and  then  bent  down,  parting  the  grass  so  as  to  see 
the  tracks  under  it;  I  had  a  few  Angoni  with  me, 
but  they  were  some  yards  behind  on  the  old  track. 

Before  my  investigation  was  complete,  I  was  left  in 
little  doubt  as  to  the  owner  of  the  tracks,  as  I  heard  the 
engine-like  puffs  of  a  pair  of  rhinos  close  at  hand  break- 
ing down  the  grass.  Evidently  they  had  been  lying 
up  close  to  the  spot  at  which  I  had  hit  their  track  and 
had  now  got  my  wind. 

The  next  moment  a  great  behorned  head  burst  out 
of  the  grass  a  yard  or  two  from  me.  I  had  no  time  to 
think,  but  just  shoved  my  mannlicher  in  his  face  and 
puUed  the  trigger.  He  swerved,  but  I  do  not  know 
what  became  of  him  after  that,  as  at  the  same  moment 
I  became  aware  of  the  second  one  bearing  down  on  me 
from  my  left.  There  was  no  time  to  reload,  so  I  tried 
to  jump  out  of  his  path,  with  the  usual  result  in  thick 
stuff,  that  one  tripped  up. 


36     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

He  kicked  me  in  passing,  and  then,  with  a  celerity  sxir- 
prising  in  so  ponderous  a  creature,  he  whipped  round, 
and  the  next  moment  I  felt  myself  soaring  up  sk3rwards. 
I  must  have  gone  some  height,  as  my  men  on  the  ele- 
phant track  said  that  they  saw  me  over  the  grass,  which 
was  ten  or  twelve  feet  high.  However,  they  are  so  very 
unreliable  in  their  statements  that  it  would  be  quite 
enough  for  them,  if  they  heard  what  had  happened,  to 
imagine  that  they  had  seen  it.  Anyhow  I  fell  heavily 
on  my  shoulder  blades,  the  best  place  on  which  it  is 
possible  to  fall,  partly  by  accident  and  partly  from  prac- 
tice in  tumbling  in  the  gymnasium. 

On  looking  up  I  saw  the  wrinkled  stern  of  the  rhino 
disappearing  in  the  grass,  at  which  I  said  to  myself, 
hurrah  !  for  I  thought  that  he  might  continue  the 
onslaught.  Somehow  I  had  the  idea  that  he  had  been 
plajdng  battledore  and  shuttlecock  with  me  for  some 
time,  but  when  I  came  to  think  it  over  I  could  only 
remember  going  up  once.  Possibly  being  kicked  first 
gave  me  this  impression. 

Next  I  looked  round  for  my  rifle  and  espied  it  on  the 
ground  a  little  way  off.  I  picked  it  up  and  examined  it 
to  see  if  it  had  been  injured.  While  doing  this  I  suddenly 
found  that  a  finger  nail  had  been  torn  off  and  was  bleed- 
ing.    Directly  I  discovered  it,  it  became  very  painful. 

Whilst  examining  this  injury  some  of  my  men  ap- 
peared and  uttered  cries  of  horror.  I  could  not  make 
out  why  they  were  so  concerned  till  I  glanced  at  my 


ABOUT  RHINO  37 


chest  and  saw  that  my  shirt  had  been  ripped  open  and 
was  covered  with  blood  whilst  there  was  a  tremendous 
gash  in  the  left  side  of  my  chest,  just  over  the  spot  in 
which  the  heart  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  situated. 
Small  bits  of  mincemeat  were  also  lying  about  on  my 
chest  and  shirt. 

This  was  a  new  problem  to  think  out;  I  was  in  rather 
a  dazed  state,  so  I  left  the  consideration  of  my  finger 
and  began  to  consider  my  chest.  I  felt  nothing  at  all 
except  a  rather  numb  sensation.  It  struck  me  that  it 
must  have  pierced  my  lungs;  I  would  soon  know  if  this 
was  the  case,  as  I  would  be  spitting  blood.  I  waited  a 
short  time  and  nothing  of  the  sort  occurred,  so  I  con- 
cluded that  the  lungs  were  all  right. 

Just  at  this  moment  there  was  a  rustle  in  the  grass; 
it  appeared  that  the  rhino  had  come  back.  One  of  my 
men  helped  me  up  and  another  put  my  rifle  in  my 
hands,  and  I  awaited  them,  but  presently  we  heard  them 
tearing  off  again. 

I  was  only  about  thirty  miles  from  Fort  Manning,  and 
so  I  sent  off  a  native  to  teU  the  other  fellow  there.  Cap- 
tain Mostyn,  that  I  had  met  with  an  accident.  Then 
I  started  back  to  the  nearest  village.  After  walking 
some  time  I  felt  faint,  and  so  my  natives  cut  a  pole  and 
trussed  me  on  to  it,  fastening  me  with  my  putties. 
This  was,  however,  so  very  uncomfortable  that  I  had 
myseff  untrussed  again  and  performed  the  rest  of  the 
journey  on  foot. 


38     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

Having  arrived  at  the  village,  I  sent  off  for  my  camp, 
which  was  at  another  village,  and  sat  down  to  await  it 
patiently.  After  a  few  hours  it  turned  up,  and  I  dressed 
my  wound  as  best  I  could  and  lay  down.  I  calculated 
the  time  the  news  would  take  to  reach  Fort  Manning 
and  the  distance  out  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
Mostyn  could  not  possibly  send  help  before  about  noon 
next  day. 

1  I  had  a  sleepless  night  till,  about  two  in  the  morning,  I 
heard  voices,  and  then  the  stockaded  door  of  the  zariba 
being  pulled  down,  and  presently  Most}^!  appeared. 
He  said  that  a  native  had  arrived  at  sunset  with  the 
information  that  the  white  man  had  killed  a  rhino,  to 
which  he  replied  "Good."  The  information  was  re- 
peated and  the  native  seemed  in  a  greater  state  of  agi- 
tation than  the  news  seemed  to  warrant.  Then  he 
said  that  a  rhino  had  killed  the  white  man. 

This  was  quite  a  different  thing.  He  was  so  agitated 
that  Mostyn  could  not  get  out  of  him  what  had  really 
happened,  and  so,  thinking  there  must  have  been  an 
accident,  he  got  the  Indian  Hospital  assistant,  and  the 
two  set  out.  They  covered  some  twenty  to  twenty-four 
miles  in  the  dark  on  a  bad  track  between  7  p.m.  and 

2  A.M.,  a  very  fine  bit  of  marching,  especially  as  they 
did  not  know  for  certain  where  I  was  and  had  to  knock 
up  villages  on  the  way  and  ask  for  news. 

The  Indian,  whose  name  was  Ghulam  Mohamed,  was 
so  done  up  when  he  arrived  that  I  told  him  he  had  better 


ABOUT   RHINO  39 


rest  till  morning,  but  he  insisted  on  attending  to  me  at 
once,  and  stitched  up  the  wound  most  skilfully.  He 
was  a  first-class  doctor,  and  the  job  could  not  have 
been  done  better,  for  three  weeks  later  I  was  well 
enough,  though  still  in  bandages,  to  start  on  a  240-mile 
march,  which  I  performed  in  ten  days. 

I  think  the  country  in  which  I  have  seen  most  rhino 
was  that  about  the  south  and  southeast  of  the  Ithanga 
Mountains  in  British  East  Africa  in  1907  —  I  add  the 
date,  as  game  in  a  locality  differs  often  from  year  to 
year;  I  was  surveying  there  and  quite  frequently  met 
about  ten  whilst  trekking  along. 

One  evening,  coming  home  in  the  dark  from  sketching, 
I  almost  walked  right  into  one  standing  quite  motion- 
less. Another  day  in  thick  thorn  two  rushed  up  the 
path  we  were  following.  The  porters  threw  down  their 
loads  and  dived  into  the  thorn  right  and  left,  whilst  the 
rhino  passed  right  up  the  line  without  damaging  any- 
body or  anything,  although  they  must  have  passed 
within  a  few  yards  of  thirty  men  in  all. 

I  find  in  my  Diary  for  5th  November,  1907,  "Came 
near  to  Maboloni  Hill.  Saw  seven  rhino  grazing  near 
the  hill  and  steered  the  caravan  safely  past,  leaving 
four  about  a  hundred  yards  up  wind  and  three  about 
four  hundred  yards  down  wind."  The  next  day  I  find 
"Met  twelve  rhino  aU  in  our  immediate  path.  Two 
were  lying  down  close  to  where  I  wanted  to  set  up  the 
plane  table.     After  great  difficulty  they  were  persuaded 


40     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

to  move,  and  I  began  setting  up  the  table  when  an- 
other appeared.  Leaving  here  we  came  on  a  party  of 
three  lying  down  near  a  river  bed,  one  bull,  a  cow,  and 
a  calf.  I  watched  the  bull  making  advances  to  the 
cow,  which  were  not  favourably  received,  as  she  got  up 
and  prodded  him  away.  They  lay  down  again,  and 
then  suddenly  all  three  jumped  up  and  rushed  off;  I 
do  not  know  what  alarmed  them.  Going  up  a  narrow 
spur  I  met  one,  and  steering  round  to  avoid  him  came 
suddenly  on  two  others  lying  just  over  the  edge  of  the 
ridge. 

"The  cook  went  down  to  the  river  and  said  that  he 
saw  eleven  and  had  to  get  up  a  tree." 

On  the  next  day  I  met  two  rhino  on  a  spur,  the 
farthest  one  of  which  started  walking  towards  us.  It 
was  very  comical  to  see  the  man  carrying  my  plane 
table,  who  had  only  seen  the  latter,  hurriedly  put 
down  his  load  and  bolt  from  the  farther  one  right 
into  the  arms  of  the  nearer  one,  which  he  had  not 
noticed. 

On  the  day  following  this  I  was  out  early  after  lion, 
and  hearing  a  noise  behind  me,  saw  a  female  rhino  and 
small  calf  racing  towards  me,  so  I  hurriedly  got  up  a  tree 
and  let  them  pass. 

Later  in  the  day  when  trekking  along  with  my  porters 
the  same  thing  happened  again;  a  female  and  calf  ap- 
peared out  of  some  thorn  and  raced  after  us.  Loads 
were  hurled  down  and  there  was  a  general  sauve  qui 


ABOUT   RHINO  41 


pent,  but  they  turned  off  again  when  they  reached  the 
loads  and  dashed  back  mto  the  thorn. 

Just  after  that  I  saw  one  with  an  immensely  long  pos- 
terior horn,  much  longer  than  the  anterior,  standing 
under  a  tree  in  our  road.  I  went  forward  and  shouted 
and  whistled  till  it  moved  on,  and  then  we  proceeded, 
only  to  find  another  about  a  hundred  yards  down  wind 
of  where  we  wished  to  pass. 

We  were  so  bored  with  making  constant  detours  to 
avoid  these  animals  that  we  waited  till  he  had  grazed 
on  about  another  150  yards  and  then  made  a  slight 
detour  up  wind  so  as  to  pass  about  350  yards  from  him. 
When  the  leading  part  of  the  caravan  got  up  wind  of 
him,  he  went  on  peacefully  grazing,  but  when  about  half 
had  passed,  he  suddenly  got  our  wind. 

Instead  of  going  away  he  came  towards  us.  I  had 
shot  my  two  rhinos  for  the  year  before  we  met  any  of 
the  above-mentioned  animals,  and  so  I  had  been  trying 
to  avoid  them  as  much  as  possible.  I  now  stationed  my- 
self in  front  of  the  caravan,  hoping  that  he  would  turn 
off,  but  he  came  steadily  on. 

When  he  got  to  about  80  yards  distant  he  still  had 
his  head  up.  I  fired,  missing  him  on  purpose,  hop- 
ing that  it  would  frighten  him,  but  it  seemed  only  to 
encourage  him,  as  he  then  put  down  his  head  and  came 
in  earnest,  wavering  slightly  from  side  to  side  to  keep 
the  wind.  His  head  and  horns  covered  his  heart  and 
brain,  so  at  50  yards  I  put  a  shot  into  the  side  of  his 


42     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

shoulder,  and  at  30  yards  I  put  another,  which  fortu- 
nately disabled  his  right  shoulder  so  that  he  stumbled. 
He  picked  himself  up  and  came  on  again,  but  now 
slowly,  and  the  danger  was  past,  as  he  was  dis- 
abled and  could  be  easily  dodged. 

As  I  was  surveying,  and  not  shooting,  and  had  no  in- 
tention of  shooting  at  a  rhino,  having  shot  all  I  was  al- 
lowed, I  had  only  three  cartridges  in  my  rifle,  which  I 
had  now  fired.  My  pockets  were  so  full  of  pencils, 
notebooks,  etc.,  that  I  had  handed  over  all  my  cart- 
ridges to  a  Mkamba  guide,  who  could  be  found  nowhere. 

I  called  out  for  more  cartridges,  and  meanwhile  the 
rhino  came  slowly  stumping  on  and  I  retreated  before 
him.  He  had  just  reached  the  spot  at  which  the  por- 
ters had  thrown  down  their  loads,  and  I  expected  to  see 
him  begin  to  amuse  himself  with  them,  when  my  dog, 
who  had  only  been  a  spectator  so  far,  thought  it  about 
time  to  join  in.  He  rushed  barking  at  the  rhino  and 
the  beast  turned  round  and  round,  facing  him,  while  the 
dog  rushed  round  and  round  trying  to  get  at  his  heels. 

Whilst  this  diversion  was  in  progress  the  head  man 
discovered  the  Mkamba  guide  up  a  tree,  secured  the 
cartridge  bag,  and  came  running  up  with  it.  Getting 
a  convenient  side  shot,  I  finished  the  rhino.  We  cut  off 
the  horns  with  a  hatchet  to  hand  in  at  the  next  govern- 
ment station  we  passed,  and  continued  our  march. 

I  have  only  mentioned  a  few  of  the  rhino  incidents 
which  happened  when  I  was  sketching  in  that  country. 


ABOUT   RHINO  43 


It  must  be  remembered  that  we  were  not  looking  for 
them,  but  rather  trying  to  avoid  them,  as  they  delayed 
our  marches  and  hampered  my  work. 

In  the  same  country  a  rhino  suddenly  started  up  and 
came  rushing  towards  us.  When  we  shouted  at  him 
he  thought  better  of  it  and  turned  round  to  make  off, 
disclosing  the  fact  that  he  had  no  tail.  This  seemed  to 
tickle  the  porters  very  much,  and  as  he  disappeared 
with  his  small  stump,  in  place  of  a  tail,  sticking  straight 
up,  he  was  sped  on  his  way  with  shouts  of  derision. 
They  seemed  to  imagine  that  his  lack  of  a  tail  made  it 
specially  impertinent  of  him  to  have  attempted  to  come 
for  us. 

Once  when  I  was  sketching  on  a  hilltop  to  the  south 
of  Embu  where  lion  had  been  heard  for  several  nights, 
after  finishing  my  work,  I  sent  my  men  back  to  camp 
with  the  instruments,  and  myself  made  a  detour,  hoping 
to  meet  a  lion.  Whilst  passing  under  a  tree,  I  noticed 
a  rhino  coming  slowly  towards  me.  The  tree  was  easily 
climbable,  and  my  first  impulse  was  to  get  up  and  take 
some  photographs,  but  then  I  remembered  that  I  had 
no  camera.  So  I  moved  a  little  out  of  his  path  and 
watched  him.  He  came  slowly  up  to  the  tree  and  lay 
down  underneath  it.  I  regretted  very  much  the  ab- 
sence of  my  camera;  one  could  have  taken  a  splendid 
illustrated  interview  from  a  perch  on  the  tree. 

Rhino,  in  spite  of  the  thickness  of  their  skin,  appear 
very  subject  to  sores.     There  are  almost  always  large 


44     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

sores  on  the  chest  or  stomach,  and  often  enormous  fes- 
tering sores  on  other  parts  of  the  body.  They  fre- 
quently, too,  are  cut  and  gashed  about,  these  being  prob- 
ably caused  by  fighting  together.  A  female  I  shot  once, 
amongst  other  gashes,  had  one  vertical  one  extending 
from  the  centre  of  the  back  almost  to  the  stomach. 
That  is  to  say,  it  went  nearly  halfway  round  her  body. 
It  seems  almost  inconceivable  that  such  a  wound  could 
have  been  inflicted  with  a  prod  of  another's  horn,  and 
yet  I  cannot  think  of  any  other  cause  to  which  it  could 
be  attributed. 

When  I  was  hunting  in  the  Lado  Enclave  in  1908, 1 
found  the  white  or  square-lipped  rhinoceros  very  com- 
mon about  Wadelai  and  close  to  the  Nile  for  some  days 
to  the  north.  Although  I  never  looked  for  them  or 
followed  up  their  spoor,  I  was  constantly  meeting  them. 
As  it  was  a  grass  country,  they  could  not  be  seen  so 
easily  as  in  a  country  such  as  that  described  above,  so 
they  must  have  been  even  more  numerous  than  they 
appeared.  It  was  curious  that  on  no  single  occasion 
did  my  Baganda  porters  recognise  what  they  were  when 
they  saw  them  in  the  grass,  but  invariably  said,  "There 
is  an  elephant."  The  same  held  good  with  the  spoor, 
as  they  always  said  that  it  was  elephant  spoor. 

I  suppose  that  as  they  are  not  met  with  in  Uganda 
proper  they  had  never  seen  them  before.  One  would 
have  thought  that  after  seeing  them  once  or  twice  and 
cutting  them  up,  they  would  have  learnt  to  distinguish 


ABOUT   RHINO  45 


them  from  elephant  and  that  they  must  have  noticed 
how  different  the  spoor  was  from  that  of  the  latter. 
This  was  the  more  remarkable  in  that  they  were  really 
very  good  at  detecting  and  spooring  elephant.  I  have 
always  noticed  that,  however  good  a  native  may  be  at 
hunting  and  tracking  the  game  he  knows,  directly  he 
meets  something  new  to  him  he  is  not  only  hopeless,  but 
makes  the  most  wild  and  impossible  shots.  One  would 
think  a  trained  tracker  would  be  too  cunning  to  go  so 
hopelessly  wide  of  the  mark  as  they  do.  The  tracks  of 
a  waterbuck  and  hartebeest  are  often  very  similar,  but 
a  good  Nyasaland  tracker  would  never  be  in  error  about 
the  two. 

I  have  never  heard  a  tracker  on  meeting  a  spoor  new 
to  him  say,  "This  is  a  spoor  I  have  never  seen  before." 
He  always  finds  a  name  for  it  amongst  the  animals  he 
knows  and  generally  chooses  one  that  has  no  likeness 
to  it  at  all.  The  first  time  I  saw  the  spoor  of  Lesser 
Kudu  I  at  once  recognised  it  from  its  likeness  to  that  of 
the  Greater  Kudu,  but  my  tracker,  who  had  come  with 
me  from  Nyasaland,  where  there  are  none  of  these 
animals,  said  "Mpala."  Yet  I  cannot  pretend  to 
anything  like  the  knowledge  or  the  ability  of  these  men, 
which  proves  that  they  hunt  more  by  instinct  than 
anything  else,  and  do  not  use  their  heads. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MORE   ELEPHANT  HUNTING 

The  best  elephant  country  I  have  struck  was  the 
Southern  Lado  Enclave  and  the  southeastern  edge  of 
the  Welle  district  at  a  time  just  after  the  stations  of 
Wadelai  and  Dufile  had  been  abandoned  by  the  Bel- 
gians. The  number  of  elephant  there  then  was  mar- 
vellous, but  the  country  was  unhealthy  and  the  travel- 
ling difhcult,  although  the  actual  hunting  was  generally 
easy.  Later  the  district  became  so  overrun  with 
poachers  that  the  majority  of  the  bulls  were  either 
shot  out  or  moved  westwards. 

In  1908  my  friend,  Captain  R.  S.  Hart,  and  myself, 
having  been  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  permits  from 
Brussels,  took  out  our  licenses  at  Mahagi,  and  then  sep- 
arated to  hunt.  Had  we  known  more  about  the  coun- 
try we  should  have  come  earlier  in  the  year;  as  it  was, 
we  wasted  much  time  in  Uganda  before  we  could  find 
shootable  bulls,  and  reached  the  Congo  as  the  grass  was 
beginning  to  get  long.  Shortly  afterwards  the  heavy 
rains  broke,  filling  up  the  swamps  and  making  the 
rivers  often  impassable. 

•  Hart  proceeded  northwards   from   Mahagi,    whilst 

46 


MORE   ELEPHANT  HUNTING  47 

I  came  down  the  Nile,  bringing  with  me  a  large  canoe 
I  had  bought  on  Lake  Albert.  The  first  day  after  I 
commenced  operations  and  had  been  trekking  all  day, 
I  came  across  a  small  herd  of  females  and  young,  and  so 
leaving  them,  returned  to  my  camp  on  the  Nile  at 
5  P.M.  I  had  started  out  at  5  a.m.  on  three  boiled  eggs, 
and  on  my  return  found  that  the  cook  had  been  unable 
to  buy  anything,  so  I  had  to  dine  off  a  soup  tablet,  some 
rice,  and  beans. 

If  I  had  known  how  poverty-stricken  the  country 
was,  I  should  have  brought  some  tinned  food;  as  it 
was,-  the  greater  part  of  the  time  I  was  in  the  en- 
clave I  was  hard  up  for  meat,  and  my  porters  for 
food.  Although  there  were  plenty  of  elephant,  small 
game  was  very  scarce,  and  I  seldom  had  the  time  to 
hunt  it,  and  moreover  was  always  loath  to  fire  for 
fear  of  disturbing  any  elephant  that  might  be  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

Next  day  we  managed  to  buy  a  few  chickens  from 
the  Uganda  bank  and  then  trekked  inland  and  saw  no 
fresh  spoor,  but  got  information  of  elephant  at  a  place 
about  25  miles  farther  on.  We  trekked  on  to  this  place, 
and  found  that  the  news  was  old,  but  I  managed  to  shoot 
a  buffalo,  which  was  very  fortunate,  as  I  was  able  to 
exchange  the  meat  for  flour  from  the  villages  for  my 
porters. 

There  was  so  httle  cultivation  in  the  country  and  the 
natives  were  so  unwilling  to  sell  any  food,  that  it  was 


48     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

only  by  this  exchange  of  meat  for  flour  that  we  were 
able  to  feed  our  porters  at  all.  Now  and  then  we  were 
able  to  buy  a  pound  or  two  for  salt,  but  the  natives 
generally  treated  the  rest  of  our  trade  goods  with 
supreme  indifference,  and  always  declared  that  they 
had  no  food  to  sell. 

When  an  elephant  or  rhino  was  shot  we  had  to  guard 
the  carcass  till  the  people  had  brought  us  flour.  Gen- 
erally, however,  they  turned  up  in  such  quantities  for 
the  meat  that  this  was  impossible,  and  we  then  had  to 
cut  off  all  the  meat  we  could  secure  and  take  it  on  with 
us  to  the  next  village  or  group  of  villages,  and  there 
change  it  for  flour.  As  nearly  every  village  was  in  a 
state  of  war  with  the  adjoining  one,  the  people  in  the 
next  village  who  were  eager  for  meat  would  have  been 
unable  to  get  any  from  the  carcass. 

All  the  natives  were  ready  to  help  find  elephant  and 
bring  in  news,  as  they  were  unable  to  kill  elephant  for 
themselves.  The  Madi  and  Lugware,  amongst  whom 
we  did  most  of  our  hunting,  are  extremely  timorous 
about  elephant,  and  seldom  seem  to  kill  them  with  spears 
as  other  tribes  do.  Once  an  elephant  had  been  killed 
they  took  no  further  interest  in  finding  them  till  the 
bones  had  been  picked  clean,  every  scrap  of  meat  had 
been  devoured,  and  moreover  till  they  had  had  suffi- 
cient time  to  recover  from  their  gorge. 

So  it  used  to  be  our  practice  to  cut  out  the  tusks  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  at  once  move  off  to  the  next 


MORE   ELEPHANT  HUNTING  49 

hostile  village,  where  the  people  would  still  be  suffering 
from  meat  hunger  and  ready  to  bring  in  news  of  ele- 
phant and  help  one  in  finding  them. 

On  the  day  following  the  shooting  of  the  buffalo  we 
started  at  sunrise  and  reached  a  village  about  8  miles 
on.  Here  we  were  told  that  the  whole  village  had  gone 
on  to  the  next  one  to  join  in  an  elephant  hunt.  The 
people  here  were  Alurs,  who  were  not  so  timorous  with 
elephant  as  the  Madi. 

We  went  on  to  the  next  village  and  found  the  chief, 
who  was  the  only  able-bodied  man  left  in  the  village. 
He  said  that  the  elephant  had  been  seen  close  by  and 
that  he  would  take  me  to  the  place.  I  wanted  to  take 
on  my  camp  part  of  the  way,  but  as  he  said  there  was  no 
water  ahead,  I  left  it,  and  took  one  of  the  head  men  on 
with  me.  We  marched  for  two  hours,  and  then  came 
across  the  old  site  of  a  village.  As  this  was  a  pretty 
certain  indication  of  the  presence  of  water  I  looked 
round  and  found  a  water  hole,  and  so  sent  the  head 
man  back  to  fetch  the  camp  on  to  this  site. 

We  then  went  on,  the  chief,  myself,  and  a  guide  I 
had  obtained  from  the  Uganda  side.  After  going  for 
another  two  hours  without  seeing  any  sign  of  spoor, 
the  chief  suddenly  sat  down  and  said  that  it  was  very 
far  to  the  place  and  that  we  had  better  go  back.  I  said 
that  if  it  was  very  near  four  hours  ago,  it  could  hardly 
be  very  far  now,  and  anyhow  I  would  go  on.  The 
chief  said  that  we  could  not  possibly  reach  the  place 


50     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

that  day.  However,  I  persisted,  and  we  started  off 
again. 

After  going  for  a  bit  we  came  on  elephant  spoor,  which 
we  followed,  and  it  led  us  to  the  identical  place  where  I 
had  seen  the  small  herd  of  females  and  young  close  to 
the  Nile  some  days  before.  The  spoor  then  took  us  up 
the  valley  in  long  grass,  not  real  elephant  grass,  but 
only  about  breast  high,  with  isolated  higher  stalks.  By 
the  tracks  it  would  appear  that  it  was  an  enormous 
herd  we  were  following. 

Suddenly  we  heard  numbers  of  natives  yelling  and 
shouting  from  the  side  of  the  valley;  this  was  the  ele- 
phant hunting  party.  Apparently  they  had  headed 
them  off,  and  this  had  the  effect  of  driving  the  whole 
herd  back  on  us.  In  another  moment  the  grass  all 
round  us  was  seething  with  elephant.  There  must 
have  been  about  two  or  three  hundred  split  up  into  little 
herds  of  twenty  or  thirty  animals  in  each. 

They  were  charging  up  and  down  in  the  grass  on  all 
sides,  alarmed  by  the  shouting  from  the  hillside  and  not 
being  quite  certain  which  way  to  go.  There  were  no 
big  tuskers,  but  plenty  of  males  of  about  50  and  40 
pounds. 

It  was  the  first  time  I  had  been  in  the  middle  of  a  big 
herd  with  an  unrestricted  license,  and  I  am  afraid  that 
I  rather  let  myself  go.  Fresh  herds  came  surging  up 
out  of  the  grass,  and  I  had  an  exciting  five  minutes. 
When  they  went  off  I  ran  after  them,  till  the  last  one  I 


MORE  ELEPHANT  HUNTING  51 

fired  at  disappeared,  and  racing  after  him,  I  heard  him 
gurgling  on  the  ground  in  front  of  me.  I  was  exhausted 
after  my  long  day  and  running,  and  threw  myself  down 
at  a  muddy  pool  of  water  to  drink,  thinking  that  he  was 
done  for.  When  I  got  up  he  had  gone  and  I  never 
caught  up  with  him  again. 

I  then  returned  to  make  certain  of  any  still  breathing 
and  count  the  bag.  There  were  in  all  eight,  most  of 
them  shot  from  my  original  position,  but  three  I  killed 
whilst  running  after  them.  I  had  been  shooting  very 
well  that  day,  and  I  believe  the  only  one  I  hit  and  did 
not  get  was  the  one  who  fell  down  and  afterwards  got 
up  again  and  went  off.  At  any  rate  no  other  blood 
spoor  was  found  after  a  minute  search  by  myself  and 
many  natives.  There  was  such  a  seething  mass  of 
elephant,  however,  and  I  had  to  fire  so  quickly,  that 
it  is  very  difficult  to  tell  for  certain. 

The  native  hunting  party  then  descended  with  loud 
shouts  and  cries  and  fell  on  the  meat  whilst  I  set  off 
back  to  my  camp.  I  was  met  by  porters  with  the 
lantern  before  it  got  dark,  and  arrived  shortly  after 
sunset.  As  I  had  been  going  for  over  twelve  hours 
without  food  or  rest,  I  was  glad  to  tumble  into  my  chair 
and  start  to  work  on  dinner,  which  consisted  of  some 
excellent  buffalo  tail  soup,  buffalo  marrow  and  heart. 

Next  day  we  moved  to  the  scene  of  the  disgusting 
slaughter  and  I  sent  for  my  canoe,  which  I  had  left  at 
my  first  camp  on  the  Nile,  as  it  was  impossible  for  my 


52     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

porters  to  carry  all  the  ivory.  The  canoe  proved  an 
absolute  godsend  later,  as  I  should  not  have  been  able 
to  proceed  without  it. 

Just  at  present,  however,  it  was  not  of  much  use,  as 
I  had  been  unable  to  obtain  any  paddles  with  it  and  the 
two  natives  I  had  hired  from  the  Uganda  bank  to  ma- 
nipulate it  now  insisted  on  returning,  as  they  said  that 
they  would  have  to  go  back  through  hostile  country  if 
they  came  on  any  farther  with  me.  With  no  paddles 
and  no  natives  who  understood  its  management,  it  was 
little  use,  so  I  had  to  proceed  down  the  Nile  by  short 
marches,  sending  back  the  porters  after  each  march  to 
fetch  the  remaining  loads. 

In  this  slow  and  stately  way  we  continued  towards 
Wadelai,  at  which  place  I  had  promised  to  meet  Hart 
on  a  certain  day,  while  I  occupied  the  time  of  enforced 
delay  in  hunting.  I  killed  an  elephant  near  a  village 
and  was  lucky  enough  to  be  able  to  exchange  some  of 
the  meat  for  a  paddle,  and  then  made  two  of  my  porters 
learn  how  to  manage  the  canoe. 

Two  days  later,  while  waiting  for  the  canoe  to  be 
brought  down,  I  followed  a  herd  of  elephant,  and  they 
took  me  past  the  spot  at  which  the  last  elephant  had 
been  killed.  This  is  a  thing  I  have  frequently  noticed 
when  after  elephant,  —  how  often  their  spoor  leads  you 
past  an  old  skull  or  the  spot  at  which  one  has  been 
killed.  This  happens  so  often  that  I  think  it  must 
be  more   than  coincidence.     Very  possibly  they   are 


MORE   ELEPHANT  HUNTING  53 

really  following  some  old  path  or  elephant  track  which 
has  been  habitually  used  by  elephant,  and  which  they 
recognise,  whilst  it  appears  to  us  just  like  any  other 
part  of  the  bush  if  the  path  is  overgrown. 

By  this  time  I  should  have  been  at  Wadelai,  so  I 
sent  on  my  head  man  with  a  letter  to  Hart,  telling  him 
of  the  predicament  I  was  in  and  asking  him  to  send 
some  of  his  porters  to  help  me.  The  man  returned  and 
told  me.  that  Hart  was  not  at  Wadelai,  and  so  I  did  not 
hurry  unnecessarily.  It  afterwards  appeared  that  the 
man,  with  extraordinary  ingenuity,  had  crossed  the  river 
and  made  his  way  to  British  Wadelai,  at  which  place  he 
naturally  did  not  find  Hart,  nor  could  he  have  been  ex- 
pected to,  since  we  left  him  inland  of  us.  Meanwhile 
Hart  had  been  waiting  for  me  at  Belgian  Wadelai  as 
agreed,  and  as  I  did  not  turn  up  he  left  the  day  before 
I  arrived. 

When  we  got  within  ten  miles  of  the  place  we  met  fresh 
spoor  of  two  big  elephant  on  the  path,  and  so  I  sent  the 
camp  on  whilst  I  followed  the  spoor.  It  led  us  inland 
and  then  into  the  immense  tall  grass  and  reeds  which 
covered  some  low,  wet,  and  slushy  country  on  the  banks 
of  the  Arua  River.  After  going  for  an  hour  or  two 
through  water  and  mud  we  heard  them  the  other 
side  of  a  belt  of  very  thick  grass. 

We  came  through  this  and  into  shorter  grass  the 
other  side,  and  I  got  a  glimpse  of  one  of  them  150  yards 
off,  as  I  was  on  a  httle  rise.     I  made  my  way  to  a  tree 


54     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

sixty  or  seventy  yards  nearer,  from  which  place  I  could 
have  got  a  good  shot.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  fire,  I 
saw  for  the  first  time  a  second  elephant  beyond  him. 
As  he  tossed  up  his  head  for  a  moment  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  his  tusks,  which  were  a  bigger  pair  than  the 
first.  I  could  not  see  him  well  enough  to  fire  at  him 
from  where  I  was,  so  decided  to  get  nearer.  Between 
me  and  the  first  elephant  was  a  shallow  dip  so  that  if 
I  advanced  at  all,  I  must  advance  almost  up  to  where 
he  stood,  as  I  would  pass  out  of  sight  directly  I  left 
the  higher  ground  near  my  tree. 

I  descended  the  dip,  and  had  to  move  very  slowly  as 
the  grass  was  long  and  dead,  and  rustled  as  I  moved. 
I  got  up  to  within  25  yards  of  the  first  elephant,  and 
could  only  see  him  imperfectly  through  the  tall  grass, 
while  the  second  I  could  not  see  at  all  from  my  new 
position. 

The  first  one  was  breaking  up  a  small  tree,  and  I 
advanced  again,  but  this  time  he  heard  me  moving  in 
the  grass  and  suddenly  whipped  round  and  stood  lis- 
tening with  ears  outspread.  In  another  moment  he 
would  have  been  off,  so  I  had  to  fire  hurriedly  through 
the  grass,  although  I  could  not  see  well.  I  gave  him 
both  barrels  of  my  .450,  and  he  crashed  off  into  the 
thick  grass  and  reeds 

I  followed  his  spoor,  which  after  a  few  hundred  yards 
began  to  show  a  lot  of  blood.  He  passed  through  very 
thick  reeds,  and  I  followed  till  I  heard  a  noise  in  front. 


MORE   ELEPHANT   HUNTING  55 

Climbing  up  a  convenient  ant-hill  high  enough  to  en- 
able me  to  get  a  view  over  the  tall  grass,  I  saw  an  ele- 
phant standing  under  a  tree  in  front.  He  immediately 
moved  on  and  downwards,  and  passed  out  of  sight,  and 
then  I  heard  a  rustling  noise  which  I  could  not  make  out 
for  a  moment,  but  I  suddenly  realised  what  it  was.  It 
was  water  splashing;  he  must  have  descended  into  a 
stream,  perhaps  the  river  that  I  had  heard  was  between 
me  and  Wadelai. 

There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  so  I  slid  down  my 
ant-hill  and  raced  as  hard  as  I  could  down  the  spoor. 
I  came  out  suddenly  on  a  dense  belt  of  reed,  through 
which  the  path  led  as  a  narrow  lane.  The  next  moment 
I  was  on  the  river  bank  with  a  dense  mass  of  reed  lean- 
ing well  out  over  the  water  on  either  hand  and  prohibit- 
ing a  view  up  or  down  stream ;  just  below  me  in  mid- 
stream was  not  only  my  elephant,  but  a  herd  of  about 
25  in  number,  all  bulls,  slowly  making  their  way  across 
the  stream,  which  was  coming  down  in  flood. 

Never  had  there  been  such  a  chance,  as  I  could  see 
the  steep  bank  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  crossing,  up 
which  they  must  clamber  one  by  one,  exposing  their 
heads  to  a  vital  shot  as  they  did  so.  It  is  the  sort  of 
situation  I  have  dreamed  of  often  enough,  but  never 
hoped  to  realise.  Bringing  up  the  rear  was  my  wounded 
elephant,  presenting  only  a  stern  shot  to  me. 

Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  undoubtedly  ought  to 
have  waited  till  the  leading  elephant  began  climbing 


56     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  opposite  bank,  which  was  not  more  than  40  yards 
away.  What  I  did  was  to  blaze  into  the  stern  of  my 
wounded  one.  He  immediately  turned  round  and  be- 
gan coming  back  towards  me,  whilst  the  whole  herd 
stopped  and  marked  time  in  midstream.  The  elephant 
turning  round  gave  me  a  chance  of  firing  into  his  chest, 
which  I  did  without  delay. 

I  have  said  that,  although  on  the  river  bank,  I  was 
in  a  narrow  lane  of  tall  reeds.  I  could  see  across  the 
river  and  the  landing  on  the  other  side  clearly  enough, 
but  owing  to  the  reeds  at  the  water's  edge,  reaching 
far  out  over  the  water,  I  could  not  see  either  up  or  down 
stream,  but  only  the  narrow  strip  of  water  straight 
across  the  river. 

The  stream  was  coming  down  with  great  force,  and 
as  I  fired  into  the  elephant's  chest  he  seemed  to  be 
carried  down-stream  by  the  current  and  passed  out  of 
sight  behind  the  reeds.  The  same  thing  had  happened 
to  the  whole  herd;  whilst  marking  time  in  midstream 
they  had  lost  ground  and  been  taken  a  few  yards  down- 
stream, which  was  sufficient  to  take  them  out  of  my 
sight,  although  I  could  hear  them  not  20  yards  off. 

I  rushed  back  through  the  reeds  and  charged  into 
the  belt  another  10  or  15  yards  down-stream  and  fought 
and  pushed  my  way  through  till  I  stood  on  the  edge  of 
the  steep  bank;  but  here  my  position  was  worse  than 
before.  I  could  hear  the  elephant  just  below;  the 
nearest  could  not  have  been  more  than  ten  yards  or 


Elephant  in  Thick  Bush 
He  has  just  become  uneasy  and  is  testing  the  wind. 


Tame  Animals  at  Kagulu.     [Lado  Enclave] 
From  left  to  right  they  are  :  female  waterbuck,  male  waterbuck,  and  Uganda  kob. 


MORE   ELEPHANT  HUNTING  57 

at  most  fifteen  yards  from  me,  but  so  dense  was  the 
mass  of  reeds  growing  outwards  from  the  bank  over  the 
water  that  I  could  not  see  a  square  inch  of  the  water 
at  my  feet,  far  less  the  elephant. 

It  seemed  the  most  maddening  thing  possible;  if 
I  could  only  find  an  open  space,  I  might  shoot  any 
number;  and  here  I  was,  absolutely  defeated  by  a  mass 
of  reeds.  The  sounds  passed  down-stream,  and  I 
crashed  through  the  reeds  again  and  ran  down  the 
bank  about  40  yards  before  making  another  dive  into 
the  reeds.  I  rushed  in  with  such  impetus  that  I  feU 
down  a  steep  bank,  ramming  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle 
into  the  soft  earth  as  I  fell. 

After  scrambling  out  again  I  had  to  run  back  along 
my  tracks  till  I  found  the  porter  with  my  second  rifle 
who  had  daUied  behind.  I  seized  this  and  dashed 
down  the  elephant  path  again,  which  foUowed  along 
outside  the  reed  belt,  and  after  going  for  about  a  couple 
of  hundred  yards  there  was  a  break  in  the  reeds, 
trampled  by  elephant.  It  was  at  a  bend  of  the  river, 
and  I  came  out  on  to  the  bank  and  got  a  clear  view 
of  several  hundred  yards  up-stream.  There  was  not 
a  sign  of  any  elephant,  not  even  the  wounded  one, 
nothing  but  the  muddy  river  frothing  down  in  flood. 

I  then  retmned  to  the  crossing  and  waded  in  to  see  if 
there  was  any  sign  of  the  wounded  one.  The  stream 
was  tremendously  strong,  and  I  had  to  move  very  care- 
fuUy.     When  I  reached  the  edge  of  the  reeds  and  could 


58     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

look  around  the  corner,  the  river  was  up  above  my 
waist.  To  my  rehef  I  saw  the  side  of  the  elephant 
rising  as  a  Httle  island  about  a  foot  above  the  water. 
I  managed  to  reach  it,  almost  neck  deep,  and  cKmb  on 
to  it,  but  the  head  was  below  water  and  the  stream  was 
too  muddy  to  be  able  to  see  the  tusks;  I  could  only 
ascertain  what  they  were  like  by  feeling  them. 

As  I  knelt  on  him  he  moved;  I  thought  for  the 
moment  that  he  had  come  to  life  again;  the  next  moment 
I  realised  what  had  happened.  The  river  had  risen 
another  few  inches,  which  had  just  floated  him  off  the 
bottom,  and  I  was  commencing  to  float  down-stream  on 
top  of  him. 

I  hurriedly  left  him,  and  tried  to  reach  the  shore 
again,  but  the  stream  was  so  strong  now  that  I  could 
make  no  headway  against  it,  and  would  certainly  have 
been  carried  down  if  one  of  the  local  natives,  who  had 
accompanied  me,  had  not  reached  out  to  me  the  end 
of  his  long  spear  whilst  he  himself  was  standing  in  shal- 
lower water  and  holding  on  to  the  reeds.  With  this 
help  I  regained  the  bank,  leaving  my  elephant  majesti- 
cally saihng  down-stream.  The  next  thing  was  how 
to  recapture  the  elephant.  I  had  visions  of  him  sail- 
ing out  into  the  Nile  or  being  eaten  by  crocs  whilst  his 
tusks  sank  to  the  bottom  and  were  lost  forever. 

We  hurried  back  down  the  river  to  fetch  ropes  and 
assistance,  but  there  was  no  telling  where  he  might  land 
up,  and  the  banks  were  so  thick  that  it  might  be  al- 


MORE  ELEPHANT  HUNTING  59 

most  impossible  to  locate  him.  Also  I  thought  that 
if  the  natives  got  hold  of  him  they  would  cut  off  all  the 
meat  in  the  water  and  let  the  skull  and  tusks  sink 
to  the  bottom,  as  these  bones  did  not  interest  them 
at  all. 

An  hour  or  two's  walk  brought  us  to  a  big  village  on 
the  river  bank.  It  was  here  that  the  path  to  Wadelai 
crossed,  and  I  heard  with  a  certain  amount  of  satisfac- 
tion that  all  my  loads  had  passed  over  to  the  other  bank 
in  safety,  although  it  puzzled  me  to  imagine  how  this 
had  been  accomplished,  as  the  river  was  coming  down 
at  a  prodigious  rate,  and  was  reported  to  be  over  a 
man's  head  at  the  middle  of  the  ford. 

When  I  said  that  I  wanted  to  cross,  a  few  of  the  vil- 
lagers tested  the  ford  by  entering  the  river  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards  up-stream,  and  proceeding  diagonally 
across  with  a  funny  little  skipping  and  bobbing  motion. 
They  held  their  hands  straight  above  their  heads,  and 
as  they  neared  the  centre  each  skip  carried  them  about 
20  yards  down-stream  to  one  yard  across.  At  one 
time  their  heads  disappeared  under  water,  and  only 
their  hands  were  above  the  level  of  the  river. 

On  arriving  at  the  other  side  they  ran  up  the  bank 
again,  and  throwing  themselves  into  the  water  came 
swimming  across  like  fishes  and  pronounced  the  ford 
practicable.  Then  taking  my  rifles,  ammunition,  field 
glasses,  and  camera  they  held  them  high  above  their 
heads  and  bobbed  and  skipped  across  the  river  with 


6o     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

them.  Although  the  men  carr3dng  them  were  at  one 
time  wholly  imder  water  my  goods  reached  the  other 
side  safely  and  dry. 

I  learnt  that  aU  my  loads  had  been  taken  across 
the  river  in  this  wonderful  way,  but  the  water  had 
not  been  quite  so  high  then.  Only  one  load  had  got 
a  little  wet  containing  trade  goods  which  were  soon 
dried  again. 

We  got  into  the  old  Belgian  station  at  3  p.m.,  where  I 
collected  my  porters,  and  taking  some  rope  set  out  to 
find  the  truant  elephant.  We  followed  up  the  river 
bank  on  the  Wadelai  side  as,  owing  to  the  bend  of  the 
river,  it  was  not  so  far  up  this  side.  To  my  relief  we 
met  a  native  carr3dng  a  bit  of  trunk;  the  elephant  had 
come  to  shore  then  and  the  natives  had  lost  no  time 
in  nosing  it  out.  Presently  we  heard  the  sound  of  many 
voices,  which  guided  us  to  the  spot,  and  we  found  a 
number  of  people  in  the  water  busily  cutting  up  the 
carcass. 

The  first  precaution  I  took  was  to  moor  the  tusks 
to  the  bank  so  that  there  should  be  no  danger  of  their 
being  washed  down-stream  or  falling  to  the  bottom  of 
the  river  after  being  cut  out.  The  porters  worked  well, 
and  by  shortly  after  sunset  the  tusks  were  out,  and  we 
started  back  again.  We  blundered  along  in  the  dark 
and  overshot  the  station,  as  there  were  no  stars  out  to 
guide  us.  Finally  we  ran  into  a  viUage  and  got  a  na- 
tive to  put  us  on  the  path. 


MORE   ELEPHANT   HUNTING  6i 

We  did  not  get  in  until  about  ii  o'clock  at  night, 
however,  and  I  found  dinner  ready  for  me  in  the  old 
Belgian  mess,  which  was  in  quite  good  repair.  I  had 
been  on  the  move  since  sunrise  and  been  twice  wet 
through  and  had  my  things  dry  on  me.  So  it  was  with 
some  relief  that  I  got  a  change,  and  then  had  a  feed  and 
came  to  anchor. 


CHAPTER  V 

AMONGST  THE  MADI 

After  the  events  described  in  the  last  chapter  I  took 
a  day's  rest  at  Wadelai.  The  old  Belgian  station  was 
built  on  an  elevated  site  overlooking  the  river,  which  at 
this  spot  narrows  to  about  200  yards  broad  and  is 
quite  picturesque,  as  its  banks  are  hilly.  The  houses 
were  of  brick,  thatched,  and  still  in  quite  good  repair, 
although  when  I  passed  a  few  months  later  most  of  the 
roofs  had  fallen  in. 

I  spent  the  afternoon  in  the  canoe  on  the  river,  more 
by  way  of  coaching  the  crew  than  anything  else.  We 
were  returning  slowly  up-stream,  past  a  few  hippo  who 
were  disporting  themselves  about  a  hundred  yards  or 
more  away.  One  of  them  raised  his  head  and  shoulders 
out  of  the  water  and  looked  steadily  in  our  direction; 
it  is  probable  that  he  did  not  really  see  us,  as  these 
animals  are  very  short-sighted,  but  that  he  had  our 
wind. 

After  a  prolonged  stare  he  dived  under  water,  and 
then  we  saw  a  V-shaped  ripple  on  the  surface  slowly 
approaching  the  canoe,  showing  that  he  was  swim- 
ming under  water  towards  us.  As  the  ripple  ap- 
proached nearer  and  nearer,  I  felt  that  he  should  be 

62 


AMONGST  THE   MADI  63 

discouraged,  and  got  my  rifle  ready,  expecting  every 
moment  to  see  his  head  pop  up.  However,  nothing 
of  the  sort  occurred,  but  the  ominous  ripple  still  ap- 
proached till  there  was  a  tremendous  crash,  the  end  of 
the  canoe  was  raised  a  yard  in  the  air  by  some  unseen 
agency  and  then  fell  heavily  to  the  water  again.  As 
the  canoe  rolled  I  clutched  my  rifle  and  the  sides  of  the 
canoe,  expecting  every  moment  to  be  deposited  in  the 
river. 

The  bottom  of  the  boat  filled  with  water,  and  I 
anxiously  looked  for  the  yawning  hole  which  I  felt  sure 
must  exist,  thinking  that  the  only  thing  to  do  would  be 
to  sit  on  it  by  way  of  caulking  it.  However,  no  hole 
could  be  seen  and  it  dawned  on  me  at  last  that  all  the 
water  had  come  over  the  end  or  the  sides.  The  great 
massive  log  of  wood  which  we  called  a  canoe  had  suc- 
cessfully resisted  the  shock. 

It  was  really  a  fine  canoe,  the  best  I  have  ever  seen  on 
the  Nile,  and  its  carrying  capacity  appeared  unlimited. 
We  started  by  loading  it  gingerly  with  six  or  seven 
loads,  but  before  we  had  done  with  it,  it  was  often 
carrying  half  a  ton. 

Meanwhile  the  V-shaped  ripple  was  slowly  retreating. 
The  old  hippo,  having  had  his  little  joke,  was  going  off 
without  even  offering  a  shot.  I  did  indeed  get  a  glimpse 
of  a  broad  back  just  after  the  shock,  but  I  was  then  too 
busy  clutching  on  to  the  sides  to  attempt  a  shot. 

Next  day  we  proceeded  down-stream   again.     The 


64     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

ivory  and  extra  loads,  such  as  a  supply  of  food  we  had 
obtained  from  the  pleasant  Chief  Ongwech  of  Wadelai, 
were  put  in  the  canoe,  while  the  porters  proceeded  by 
land. 

After  my  unpleasant  experience  of  the  day  before  I 
felt  nervous  about  trusting  my  ivory  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  any  hippo  who  might  feel  facetiously  in- 
clined. So  I  made  a  buoy  for  the  canoe  and  fixed  it 
by  a  rope  to  the  stern  or  bow  (we  never  knew  which 
end  was  which,  as  they  were  both  square)  and  also 
decided  to  travel  in  it  myself. 

Ongwech  gave  me  two  men,  one  to  go  in  the  canoe 
and  one  with  the  porters  so  that  we  might  both  arrive 
at  the  same  place.  For  below  Wadelai  the  river  enters 
into  a  sudd  region  traversed  by  a  few  channels.  Once 
one  gets  out  from  the  shore  there  is  no  telling  where  any 
channel  may  lead  to;  it  may  come  out  on  one  bank  of 
the  river  or  the  other,  or  it  may  proceed  for  miles  with 
dense  sudd  between  it  and  the  shore,  or  end  in  a  cul 
de  sac. 

So  we  proceeded  down-stream  in  the  canoe,  a  very 
sumptuous  way  of  travelling  after  the  continuous 
walking  here  and  in  Uganda,  till  we  arrived  at  the 
appointed  place  for  camp.  It  was  a  little  village  on 
the  shore,  the  first  spot  at  which  our  thin  winding 
channel  reached  terra  firma. 

The  village  was  the  first  Madi  one  we  had  struck. 
I  went  up  to  it  and  could  only  find  one  man,  on  whom  I 


AMONGST  THE  MADI  65 

sprung  the  only  phrase  of  Bangala  I  knew  well  at  that 
time,  which  was  "Are  there  elephant?"  He  stared  at 
me  in  doubt  for  some  time,  and  I  repeated  my  stock 
phrase  several  times  in  different  tones  and  in  the  most 
ingratiating  way  I  could. 

At  last  I  coidd  see  a  dawn  of  intelligence  glimmering 
over  his  features,  and  he  spoke  rapidly  in  a  strange 
language,  pointing  inland.  This  was  enough  for  me; 
I  returned  to  the  canoe  and  got  my  bandolier  and  rifle. 
Then,  telling  the  canoe  men  to  await  the  arrival  of  the 
porters  and  choosing  a  site  for  the  camp,  I  invested 
my  new-found  friend  with  the  bandolier  and  pointed 
in  the  same  direction  as  he  had,  repeating  elephant, 
elephant.  He  explained  something  at  great  length, 
and  he  appeared  to  be  reluctant  to  go,  as  he  pointed  to 
the  village  several  times,  but  I  pushed  him  on,  repeating 
elephant  at  intervals  and  making  signs  that  he  would 
get  a  reward  of  calico. 

So  we  set  out  and  made  for  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and 
here  he  pointed  to  the  spoor  of  elephant  which  had  been 
eating  the  crops  the  night  before.  This  was  all  I  wanted, 
so  I  took  up  the  trail  and  started,  following  it  into  the 
hills.  They  had  been  far  since  their  night's  feed,  and  the 
day  was  hot  but  the  going  was  good.  The  grass  was 
short  and  the  country  gently  rolling,  whilst  at  intervals 
we  saw  bushes  bowed  down  with  heavy  loads  of  a  black 
berry  the  size,  shape,  and  colour  of  a  blackheart  cherry 
and  with  the  taste  and  consistency  of  an  enormous 


66     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

bilberry.  This  fruit  is  called  uba  by  the  Madi.  With 
these  we  refreshed  ourselves  from  time  to  time  tiU 
at  about  three  o'clock,  as  we  were  on  the  side  of  a 
rolling  slope,  my  companion  pointed  out  a  small 
herd  of  elephant  about  800  or  1000  yards  distant  on 
the  other  side,  I  being  too  engrossed  in  the  tracks  to 
notice. 

Having  pointed  these  out  to  me,  he  considered  his 
part  of  the  programme  complete  and,  with  a  satisfied 
sigh,  he  resigned  himself  to  rest  urtder  a  tree  whilst  I 
carried  out  the  only  part  which  remained. 

This  was  the  first  experience  I  had  of  the  Madi,  and 
later  I  was  astonished  again  and  again  not  only  at  their 
timidity  with  elephant,  but  their  absolute  ignorance  of 
the  beasts  who  were  found  in  such  numbers  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  their  villages.  Even  the  most  timorous  native 
knows,  as  a  rule,  that  an  elephant  is  not  dangerous  at 
800  yards  with  the  wind  right.  Moreover,  he  knows 
enough  about  them  to  pose  to  the  uninitiated  as  quite 
brave,  as  he  realises  exactly  how  far  he  can  go  in  com- 
plete safety. 

Not  so  the  Madi,  however;  I  beckoned  him  to  come 
on,  as  there  was  no  telling  where  the  elephant  might 
lead  me  to,  and  his  services  would  be  useful  later  in 
finding  the  best  way  back,  but  he  absolutely  refused 
to  come  a  step  farther. 

So  I  proceeded  after  the  elephant,  and  presently  got 
to  an  ant-hill  about  50  yards  from  them.     The  biggest 


AMONGST   THE   MADI  67 

was  hardly  worth  shooting,  but  there  was  always 
the  food  problem  of  the  porters  to  be  faced,  so  I  de- 
cided to  shoot  him,  which  I  did  and  he  fell  on  his 
side.  The  others,  instead  of  moving  off,  stood  by 
him.  They  had  useless  tusks,  and  I  did  not  want 
to  fire  again,  so  waited  some  five  or  ten  minutes,  but 
they  would  not  go. 

I  thought  if  I  shouted  they  would  go,  but  it  seemed  so 
ridiculous  to  shout  all  by  oneself  that  I  refrained. 
Then  I  bethought  me  of  my  guide;  he  would  be  an 
objective  to  shout  at,  so  I  descended  from  the  eminence 
of  my  little  ant-hill  and  started  shouting  for  him.  I 
looked  back,  and  the  elephants  were  still  standing,  and 
I  thought  what  a  much  more  penetrating  voice  a  native 
has,  and  that  I  must  get  my  guide  to  do  some  real 
shouting. 

After  going  about  a  hundred  yards  back,  I  looked 
round  and  saw  the  elephant  moving  off,  and  then  I  saw 
my  guide  cautiously  descending  the  slope  towards  me. 
As  the  elephant  had  gone,  there  was  no  real  reason  why 
he  should  not  be  with  me,  and  moreover  I  wanted  him 
on  the  return  journey,  so  I  walked  to  meet  him,  as  he 
came  down  the  slope  a  few  yards  at  a  time  listening 
and  reconnoitring  carefully. 

When  he  was  about  forty  yards  from  me  the  fallen 
elephant  emitted  a  dying  gurgle  and  he  stood  still, 
meditating  retreat.  I  shouted  at  him  again,  and  he 
evidently  thought  that  I  was  in  urgent  need  of  more 


6S     HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

ammunition,  as  he  had  taken  off  the  bandolier  and  held 
it  out  invitingly  to  me.  Presently  he  advanced  cau- 
tiously again,  but  just  as  he  reached  me,  the  elephant, 
now  some  three  or  four  hundred  yards  behind  me, 
emitted  another  terrific  gurgle,  so  thrusting  the  bandolier 
into  my  hands  he  fled  up  the  hill  again. 

I  then  returned  to  the  elephant  and  cut  off  the  tail, 
and  presently  my  friend  appeared,  reconnoitring  again 
in  the  distance.  He  saw  me  standing  by  the  elephant, 
and  so  at  last  prevailed  on  himself  to  come  near; 
but  he  would  not  come  right  up  to  it. 

We  then  returned  to  the  village,  and  found  that  the 
porters  had  arrived,  camp  was  pitched,  and  better  still, 
dinner  was  ready.  It  was  after  sunset,  so  I  knew  that 
no  natives  were  likely  to  cut  up  the  meat  that  night, 
as  my  guide  would  be  much  too  timorous  to  take  them 
back  in  the  dark. 

Having  suffered  from  the  difficulties  of  obtaining 
porters'  food,  I  thought  that  I  would  make  certain  of 
la3dng  in  a  goodly  store  of  flour  next  day,  to  harbour 
up  against  a  run  of  blank  days  when  no  elephant,  and 
hence  no  food,  would  be  forthcoming. 

So  I  sent  word  to  all  the  villages  within  a  reasonable 
distance  to  say  that  we  were  going  to  make  a  cordon 
round  the  elephant  next  day  and  that  no  one  would  be 
allowed  inside  this  ring  to  cut  up  the  meat  unless  they 
first  paid  a  fee  in  flour.  Therefore  they  were  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  spot  with  their  flour,  and  it  would  be 


AMONGST   THE   MADI  69 

taken  over  by  my  porters  and  they  would  then  be  al- 
lowed access  to  the  carcass. 

Early  next  morning  I  captured  my  guide,  to  make 
certain  that  he  did  not  go  off  and  show  the  place  where 
the  elephant  lay.  Soon  an  immense  crowd  collected 
round  my  tent — Men,  women,  and  children,  and  even 
little  tots  of  about  seven  years  of  age,  carrying  gourds  of 
flour  as  tribute,  and  baskets  in  which  to  place  the  meat. 
Spears  and  knives  were  being  sharpened  in  all  direc- 
tions, whilst  the  crowd  mustered.  I  marshalled  the 
porters  with  sacks  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  flour, 
and  then  with  my  guide  of  the  day  before  I  led  the  way, 
foUowed  by  many  hundred  people  of  all  sexes  and  ages, 
carrying  the  most  varied  assortment  of  weapons  and 
receptacles. 

I  felt  so  pleased  with  myself  as  I  reviewed  my  army 
and  thought  of  the  goodly  stock  of  flour  that  was  pres- 
ently to  be  laid  up  against  a  rainy  day. 

Now  to  find  one's  way  about  in  a  trackless  bush  is  a 
peculiarly  difficult  and  rare  feat  for  a  white  man  to  be 
able  to  accomplish.  Moreover,  this  was  a  very  uni- 
formly roUing  country,  of  shallow  valleys  and  gentle 
slopes,  aU  exactly  alike,  with  no  general  feature  to  recog- 
nise about  any  of  them.  In  one  of  the  several  hundred 
little  bottoms  within  a  ten  mfles'  radius  of  camp  lay 
my  dead  elephant. 

On  my  return  journey  the  day  before  I  had  taken 
careful  note  of  the  route.    I  did  not  then  know  how 


70     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

wonderfully  ignorant  of  the  country  just  round  their 
villages  were  these  Madi.  I  afterwards  discovered  that 
they  seldom  dared  go  more  than  a  mile  or  two  from 
their  homes  for  an  exaggerated  fear  of  the  bravery  of 
the  next  section  of  the  tribe  and  their  ferocious  conduct 
should  they  meet  with  any  stranger.  At  the  time  I 
had  only  wondered  at  the  circuitous  route  by  which 
my  guide  led  me  back. 

We  started  out  by  the  same  route,  and  if  I  had  been 
solely  responsible  for  leading  the  way,  I  should  probably 
have  been  able  to  find  the  way  back  to  the  dead  elephant 
by  following  religiously  our  return  march  of  the  day 
before,  on  which  I  had  noted  numbers  of  small  land- 
marks, such  as  the  holes  in  the  ground,  peculiar  shaped 
bushes,  branching  elephant  tracks,  etc. 
:  After  proceeding  about  a  mile,  my  guide  branched 
off  from  the  old  track.  I  pointed  to  the  way  we  had 
returned,  but  he  spoke  with  great  volubility  and  pointed 
with  his  spear.  Anyhow,  I  thought,  it  was  a  round- 
about way  by  which  we  had  returned;  it  was  his 
country  and  he  had  known  it  all  his  life,  and  who  was  I 
to  dispute  his  knowledge  ?  He  had  probably  thought 
of  a  better  and  shorter  way. 

So  we  proceeded  with  our  immense  following  and 
walked  and  walked  and  walked,  but  not  a  sign  or 
vestige  of  the  dead  elephant  did  we  see.  The  women 
and  children  carrying  the  flour  and  baskets  presently 
got  tired  and  returned  home.     Then  the  men  began 


AMONGST   THE   MADI  71 

going  off  in  different  directions,  and  at  last  the  guide 
sat  down  and  said  he  was  defeated.  We  then  wandered 
over  these  hills  and  inspected  numberless  little  bottoms 
each  exactly  like  the  other. 

At  last  I  decided  it  was  no  good  making  blind  shots, 
so  I  set  back  to  strike  the  track  by  which  we  had  re- 
turned the  day  before  near  the  village.  Seldom  have 
I  felt  so  small  and  humiliated.  We  must  have  been 
miles  beyond  the  spot  at  which  the  elephant  had  been 
killed,  for  it  was  late  afternoon  when  we  reached  the 
old  track,  and  then  I  decided  to  return  and  await  the 
morrow. 

In  the  evening,  some  of  my  porters  who  had  left  me 
came  in  with  the  news  that  they  had  found  the  ele- 
phant and  secured  the  tusks.  I  had  not  the  face  to 
try  again  to  exchange  the  meat  for  flour,  but  neverthe- 
less they  brought  me  in  a  certain  amount  of  their  own 
accord,  whilst  my  porters  brought  in  sixteen  loads  of 
meat.  These  I  sent  over  in  the  canoe,  to  the  Uganda 
side  of  the  river,  where  they  were  exchanged  for  flour. 

WMle  waiting  for  the  return  of  the  canoe,  I  had  an- 
other hunt  after  elephant  on  the  hills  behind.  After 
walking  about  a  couple  of  hours,  I  came  on  the  tracks 
of  an  immense  herd.  They  were  spread  over  a  front- 
age of  half  a  mile  or  more,  grazing  as  they  went.  As 
the  wind  was  across  their  line  of  advance,  from  right  to 
left,  I  foUowed  them,  always  keeping  to  the  left  hand 
one  of  any  branching  tracks  tiU  I  at  last  caught  up  the 


72     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

extreme  left  of  the  line.  I  could  only  see  females 
and  young,  and  they  were  moving  at  a  fair  pace.  Fol- 
lowing on,  I  came  up  close  to  a  little  detached  group 
on  the  left  consisting  of  four  elephants,  two  female  and 
two  young.  As  they  tarried  behind  the  rest  of  the 
line,  I  had  to  wait  till  they  moved  on,  and  being  quite 
close  to  them,  about  30  to  40  yards,  I  had  a  good  op- 
portunity of  observing  them.  One  of  the  two  females 
had  most  peculiar  and  abnormally  shaped  tusks. 
Whilst  watching  these,  I  suddenly  heard  loud  talking 
from  down  wind.  The  African  native  is  a  noisy  talker, 
and  the  Madi  are  no  exception,  rather  the  reverse,  as 
they  have  a  most  peculiar  way  of  lowering  the  voice 
and  expelling  the  last  word  of  each  sentence  with  pro- 
digious emphasis. 

The  elephant  heard  them  and  trotted  off.  I  waited 
to  see  who  the  natives  were,  and  found  that  they  were 
just  two  men  walking  along  a  pathway  having  a  friendly 
conversation;  they  had  no  idea  that  there  were  any 
elephants  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  it  was  most  ex- 
traordinarily bad  luck  that  they  should  arrive  at  this 
exact  spot  just  at  this  moment,  especially  as  natives  so 
seldom  leave  their  villages  in  this  part  to  go  so  far. 

On  following  on,  I  found  that  the  whole  herd  had 
taken  alarm  and  moved  off.  I  had  a  tremendously  long 
journey  after  them,  and  at  last  came  up  with  them 
again  in  the  afternoon.  They  were  moving  down  the 
centre  of  a  marshy  valley  in  a  solid  phalanx,  and  there 


AMONGST   THE   MADI  73 

must  have  been  500  of  them  closely  pressed  together. 
I  followed  parallel  to  them,  slipping  and  slithering 
about  in  the  mud  and  having  to  run  every  now  and 
again  to  keep  up  with  them.  Out  of  all  that  big  herd 
I  could  not  see  one  animal  worth  the  shooting. 

After  proceeding  some  time,  I  perceived  an  ant-hill 
which  they  must  pass,  and  ran  to  reach  this  place  be- 
fore they  approached,  so  as  to  have  a  good  look  at  them 
once  again  as  they  passed.  The  phalanx  marched  past 
me,  the  nearest  about  150  yards  distant.  So  closely 
pressed  together  were  they  that  it  was  only  possible  to 
see  those  nearest  me,  but  there  was  nothing  worth  a 
shot  amongst  these. 

As  they  reached  abreast  of  me,  two  females  had  a 
quarrel,  and  one  pursued  the  other  out  of  the  herd, 
prodding  her  with  her  tusks.  They  both  came  towards 
the  ant-hill  and  stopped  at  about  50  yards'  distance. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  two  Baganda  porters  who 
were  with  me,  and  they  turned  tail  and  fled,  making  a 
prodigious  noise,  squelching  and  splashing  through  the 
mud  and  pools  of  water.  The  two  elephants  pricked 
up  their  ears,  and  the  one  which  had  been  prodding 
the  other  came  straight  towards  me  at  a  brisk  trot, 
evidently  to  see  what  it  was. 

Had  I  been  in  Uganda  I  should  have  had  to  fire  in 
the  air  or  He  down  and  hope  for  the  best.  In  the 
Congo,  however,  it  is  no  crime  to  shoot  a  female,  so  as 
she  came  close  up  to  me  I  dropped  her.     At  this  the 


74     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

whole  herd  turned  off  and  stampeded  through  the 
swamp.  At  the  same  time  I  caught  a  ghmpse  of  an- 
other enormous  herd  at  the  top  of  the  rise  on  the  other 
side  of  the  valley,  a  herd  which  must  have  contained 
a  couple  of  hundred  animals,  so  at  one  and  the  same 
time  something  like  700  elephant  were  in  sight. 

A  very  remarkable  coincidence  was  that  the  female 
who  had  run  at  me  in  this  way,  out  of  aU  that  vast 
herd,  was  the  identical  one  I  had  noticed  so  specially 
earlier  in  the  day  and  whose  abnormally  shaped  tusks 
were  unmistakable. 

As  this  herd  had  been  alarmed  now  for  the  second 
time,  it  was  no  good  following  it  any  farther,  and  indeed 
there  appeared  to  be  nothing  worth  shooting  in  it. 
This  being  the  case,  I  thought  perhaps  I  might  come 
up  with  the  second  herd  I  had  seen,  but  they  too  had 
got  the  alarm,  and  I  never  succeeded  in  coming  up  with 
them.  However,  in  their  tracks  I  found  two  rhino 
peacefully  slumbering,  and  shot  them  both.  I  was  now 
far  from  camp  and  did  not  get  back  till  long  after  dark. 

I  have  said  that  we  were  extensively  fitted  out  with 
trade  goods,  but  that  the  natives  did  not  care  much 
about  them.  This  was  only  the  case  when  we  tried  to 
purchase  anything,  such  as  chickens  or  sheep,  but  they 
were  quite  pleased  to  receive  our  goods  for  nothing. 
The  only  thing  we  possessed  that  they  really  seemed  to 
hanker  after  was  salt,  and  this  was  especially  the  case 
when  we  got  farther  inland.     There  they  would  con- 


In  the  Nile  Swamps  North  of  Wadelai 

The  upper  picture  shows  two  natives  crossing  on  a  raft  made  of  ambatch  poles,  and 
the  lower  a  floating  island  of  sudd. 


AMONGST  THE   MADI  75 

sider  a  spoonful  of  salt  quite  a  fit  remuneration  for  a 
day's  work  after  elephant,  whereas  they  would  hardly 
be  grateful  for  10  or  20  times  its  value  in  beads  or 
calico. 

Amongst  our  varied  goods  was  a  bundle  of  frock  and 
tail  coats,  articles  that  we  were  told  were  indispensable 
in  Congo  travelling.  These  were  really  very  fine 
goods,  some  of  them  were  second  hand,  but  some  were 
new  with  the  tickets  on.  If  I  remember  rightly,  we 
bought  them  at  an  average  price  of  3  rupees  or  4/  - 
each  in  Kampala.  It  seems  rather  unfair  that  the 
Uganda  native  should  only  have  to  pay  4/  -  for  a 
frock  coat  whilst  we  have  to  pay  seven  guineas. 

These  gifts  were  reserved  for  great  occasions,  some 
chief  who  had  been  very  useful,  or  some  native  who 
had  brought  exceptional  news  about  elephant.  Prac- 
tically everybody  in  the  interior  was  completely  naked. 
When  a  clothesless  savage  was  invested  with  a  long- 
tailed  morning  coat,  he  presented  the  most  comical 
appearance.  He  looked  so  very  well  dressed  when 
walking  away  from  one,  whereas,  when  coming  towards 
one  it  only  accentuated  his  nakedness. 

However,  fashions  in  the  bush  are  often  as  fastidious  in 
their  way  as  those  in  civilised  countries,  and  even  these 
royal  presents  did  not  always  meet  with  unqualified  ap- 
proval. One  Madi  had  reaUy  been  very  useful  in  bring- 
ing in  news,  and  so  when  I  parted  from  him  to  trek 
onwards,  I  produced  a  magnificent  kind  of  redingote. 


76     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

He  immediately  donned  it  and  pirouetted  round, 
looking  over  his  shoulder  to  judge  the  effect  of  the  back 
view.  He  hit  the  long  tails  once  or  twice  with  the  back 
of  his  hand  and  appeared  dissatisfied  with  the  fit.  I 
asked  him  what  was  wrong,  and  he  said  that  he  did  not 
like  these,  flapping  the  tails.  It  appeared  that  for 
ordinary  bush  wear  long  tails  were  not  being  worn, 
so  I  told  him  that  he  could  cut  them  off  if  he  did  not 
like  them.  ''No,"  he  said,  "that  would  not  be  the 
same"  ;  he  wanted  a  coat  exactly  the  same  as  the  one 
I  was  wearing.  Now  in  this  matter  I  could  not  oblige 
him,  as  it  was  the  only  coat  I  had,  except  a  rough  one 
for  evening  wear,  and  in  its  way  it  was  quite  unique. 

Hunting  day  after  day  through  bush  and  thorns 
soon  tears  one's  clothes  to  pieces.  I  had  been  very 
hard  up  for  a  coat  shortly  before  leaving  Nairobi,  and 
had  got  hold  of  some  heather-coloured,  very  strong 
kind  of  khaki  material  which  struck  me  as  peculiarly 
suited  in  colour  and  texture  to  hunting.  As  I  was  on 
trek  at  the  time  and  was  not  able  to  be  measured,  I 
sent  the  material  in  to  a  Goanese  tailor  with  an  old 
khaki  uniform  jacket  as  a  pattern.  While  giving  ex- 
plicit instructions  as  to  the  number  and  position  of 
pockets  and  manner  of  buttoning,  I  trusted  to  the 
aforesaid  khaki  jacket  for  general  size  and  shape. 

Unfortunately,  however,  this  same  khaki  jacket  was 
very  old  and  very  shrunk,  whilst  the  frayed  edges 
further  took  away  from  its  length.     The  result  was 


AMONGST  THE   MADI  77 

that  when  I  received  the  coat  in  question  it  fitted  more 
like  an  Eton  jacket  than  anything  else,  whilst  the 
sleeves  were  halfway  up  the  forearms.  As  the  material 
was  strong  and  durable,  and  there  was  no  one  to  criti- 
cise my  appearance,  I  was  undaunted  by  these  defects 
and  took  it  into  general  use.  It  was  this  coat,  then, 
that  was  envied  by  my  native  guide,  and  I  had  a  good 
mind  to  let  him  have  it  and  myself  wear  the  tail  coat. 
The  only  thing  that  dissuaded  me  was  that  the  latter 
was  really  too  dressy,  and  moreover  had  no  loops  for 
cartridges  or  convenient  side  pockets. 

Another  great  feature  of  our  trade  goods  were  some 
gaudily  coloured  bandana  handkerchiefs  that  Hart  had 
obtained.  They  were  most  attractive  looking,  but 
the  first  man  to  whom  I  gave  one  returned  shortly 
to  know  how  he  was  to  wear  it.  It  was  not  large 
enough  to  meet  round  the  waist,  and  I  was  confronted 
with  the  problem  of  how  to  dress  a  naked  man  in  one 
pocket  handkerchief.  After  profound  thought  I  de- 
vised a  way.  The  handkerchief  was  knotted  round 
the  neck  and  hung  in  a  graceful  fold  over  the  left 
shoulder.  Later  on  the  sight  of  men  ornamented  in 
this  way  grew  quite  cormnon  in  the  Lugware  country, 
and  Hart  and  myself  always  recognised  at  once  from 
this  any  village  which  the  other  had  visited. 

My  cook,  a  coast  Swahili,  took  great  pleasure  in 
extolling  our  wares.  I  remember  him  once  trying  to 
entice  a  man  to  sell  a  chicken  by  a  display  of  the  goods 


78     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

we  had  to  offer.  "A  beautiful  silk  handkerchief," 
he  said,  producing  one  of  these  bandanas.  The 
man  pawed  it  over  and  did  not  think  he  cared  for 
it.  "A  chain  of  the  purest  gold,"  said  the  cook, 
bringing  out  a  penny  brass  chain.  The  man  fingered 
it  some  time  and  did  not  seem  pleased  with  it.  The 
cook  held  up  his  hands  in  supplication,  and  besought 
Allah  to  note  the  ignorance  and  depravity  of  these 
savages,  who  could  not  appreciate  the  rarity  and  worth 
of  such  costly  articles  as  these. 

The  same  native  whom  I  decorated  with  the  tail 
coat  was  carrying  my  big  bore  for  me  one  day,  whilst  I 
had  the  mannlicher.  I  wounded  an  elephant,  and 
raced  after  it  downhill.  It  was  one  of  a  small  herd, 
and  they  performed  a  semicircle  on  the  hillside  amongst 
a  lot  of  scattered  bush  clumps,  finishing  up  by  going 
down  wind.  I  raced  round  the  corner  of  a  clump  of 
bushes  almost  into  their  arms,  as  it  were,  for  they  had 
suddenly  brought  up  standing.  An  irate  female 
rushed  out  at  me,  having  got  my  wind.  There  was  no 
time  to  get  away,  and  indeed  I  was  out  of  breath,  so  I 
steadied  her  with  a  shot  in  the  forehead,  at  which  she 
turned  and  rejoined  the  herd,  and  they  went  off  again. 

The  native,  who  was  not  as  yet  tail-coated,  had  left 
me  hurriedly  when  this  little  incident  happened.  To 
make  up  for  his  conduct,  when  we  came  a  little  later 
on  the  wounded  elephant  standing,  I  saw  him  twice 
raise  the  big  bore,  shut  his  eyes,  give  a  tremendous  pull 


AMONGST   THE   MADI  79 

on  the  trigger  and  a  prodigious  jump  at  the  same  time. 
As  the  safety  catch  was  fortunately  on,  his  efforts  met 
with  no  response  from  the  rifle,  and  I  finished  the 
animal  with  my  mannlicher. 

He  was  inordinately  pleased  and  proud  of  himself, 
and  told  me  that  it  was  he  who  had  shot  the  elephant. 
When  I  denied  this,  he  was  most  indignant,  and  stoutly 
maintained  that  I  had  to  thank  him  alone  for  obtaining 
this  elephant.  His  face  of  astonishment  and  chagrin 
was  a  picture  when  I  opened  the  breech  and  showed 
him  the  two  cartridges  comfortably  lying  in  their 
chambers  unexploded. 

To  exonerate  this  man  from  a  charge  of  showing  an 
excess  of  bravery  I  must  explain  that  he  was  partly 
Alur  and  not  wholly  Madi. 


CHAPTER  VI 

ABOUT   BUTFALO 

The  buffalo,  perhaps  above  all  big  game,  loves  the 
true,  wild,  uninhabited  country.  He  loves  not  man, 
his  habitations,  his  fields,  or  anything  to  do  with  him. 
In  North  Eastern  Rhodesia  and  Portuguese  East 
Africa  I  found  him  very  wary,  and  moreover  in  these 
countries  it  was  excessively  hard  to  pick  a  good  bull 
out  of  a  herd,  owing  to  the  length  of  the  grass  they 
lived  in. 

After  the  long  track  up,  one  would,  time  after  time, 
come  on  them  l3dng  down  in  the  grass  for  their  mid- 
day rest,  with  one  or  more  cows  standing  up  as  sentries. 
The  horns  of  the  latter  would  be  visible,  but  however 
one  might  manoeuvre  it  would  be  impossible  to  see  a 
bull  without  giving  the  alarm  to  the  sentinels.  Once 
the  alarm  was  given  there  was  a  general  stampede, 
and  in  the  rush  and  confusion  the  odds  were  very  much 
against  being  able  to  see  or  pick  out  a  good  bull.  They 
appeared  to  be  much  more  wary  in  those  countries 
than  in  East  Africa  or  the  Lado,  where  I  have  often 
seen  them  staring  interestedly  at  one,  or  even  coming 
a  little  nearer  to  have  a  better  look. 

On  two  occasions  in  the  former  countries  I  have  been 

80 


ABOUT  BUFFALO 


following  buffalo  when  a  honey  guide  has  attached 
himself  to  my  party,  and  owing  to  the  incessant  twit- 
tering given  the  alarm  to  the  herd.  I  do  not  ever 
remember  such  an  occurrence  when  after  buffalo  in 
other  parts,  but  I  have  several  times  been  close  up  to 
elephant  accompanied  by  a  honey  guide  and  they  have 
not  taken  the  alarm  from  it.  Perhaps  if  they  were 
on  the  alert,  they  would  do  so,  but  before  being  alarmed 
elephant  are  generally  very  dense  and  deaf. 

I  see  that  Colonel  Roosevelt  has  assigned  to  me  the 
statement  that  I  consider  buffalo  the  least  dangerous 
of  the  five  dangerous  African  animals,  lion,  elephant, 
rhino,  leopard,  and  buffalo,  a  statement  I  certainly 
made,  but  with  certain  ,  qualifying  remarks  which 
rather  alter  the  point  of  view.  The  question  as  to 
which  is  the  most  dangerous  game  animal  is  always 
being  asked  and  answered  in  different  ways,  but  it  has 
so  many  aspects,  and  the  conditions  are  so  varied  that 
it  is  impossible  to  answer  it  definitely  without  many 
saving  clauses. 

In  the  case  I  refer  to  I  stated  that,  judging  by  the 
cases  of  death  and  maulings  with  which  I  was  person- 
ally acquainted,  I  would  put  down  the  risks  run  in  the 
following  order;  lion,  elephant,  rhino,  leopard,  and  buf- 
falo. That  is  to  say,  that  I  have  known  or  heard  of 
more  men  being  killed  or  mauled  by  lion  than  I  have 
by  elephant,  more  by  elephant  than  by  rhino,  and  so 
on.     Thus  one  who  visited  the  same  countries  as  I 


82     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

have  and  shot  under  the  same  conditions  would  prob- 
ably take  his  risks  in  that  proportion.  However,  I 
went  on  to  explain  that  since  the  extermination  of 
buffalo  by  rinderpest,  there  were  two  factors  which 
tended  to  keep  his  average  down,  one  was  his  scarcity 
and  the  other  that  in  many  countries  he  was  considered 
royal  game  and  so,  not  being  hunted,  the  hunter  did 
not  put  himself  in  the  way  of  being  mauled  by  him. 

During  the  last  few  years  he  has  become  more  nu- 
merous, and  in  most  countries  the  restrictions  on  shoot- 
ing him  have  been  modified  or  removed,  with  the  result 
that  he  has  once  more  come  to  the  fore  as  a  dangerous 
animal.  Since  writing  about  him  in  the  "  Game  of  East 
Africa,"  there  have  been  numbers  of  cases  of  buffalo 
maulings.  Judging  by  the  same  standard  as  before, 
and  counting  only  the  last  few  years,  he  would  perhaps 
come  first,  but  on  the  other  hand  I  have  not  been  in  a 
good  lion  country  during  these  years. 

The  question  is  really  like  asking  which  is  most 
dangerous,  steeplechasing  or  motor  racing.  A  jockey 
would  perhaps  say  that  the  former  and  an  employe  at 
Brooklands  that  the  latter  was  most  dangerous.  A 
lighthouse  keeper  would  not  be  in  much  danger  of  losing 
his  life  in  either  of  these  pursuits. 

Elephant  shooting  is  so  apart  from  all  other  things 
that  it  is  impossible  really  to  draw  a  comparison.  With 
the  lion  and  the  buffalo  we  can  lay  down  a  few  general 
rules.     Neither  the  lion  nor  the  buffalo,  unless  the  lion 


ABOUT  BUFFALO  83 

is  a  man-eater  on  the  prowl,  is  generally  dangerous 
unwounded.  If  wounded,  both  of  them  will  probably 
make  off  for  thick  cover.  However,  there  is  a  pos- 
sibility of  the  lion  charging  when  hit. 

Both  animals  are  very  dangerous  to  follow  when 
wounded,  the  more  dangerous  the  thicker  the  cover. 
If  you  get  within  20  yards  or  so  of  them,  under  these 
conditions,  the  chances  are  that  they  will  charge,  and 
the  nearer  you  get  to  them  the  greater  the  chance  that 
they  wiU  do  so.  However,  both  of  them  will  as  likely 
as  not  break  away  again  before  you  get  within  this  dis- 
tance. They  will  both  have  the  advantage  of  being 
able  to  hear  or  see  you  coming  whilst  themselves  re- 
maining motionless.  The  lion  will  be  the  harder  to 
detect  as  he  will  probably  be  crouching  and  completely 
invisible.  On  the  other  hand,  the  buffalo  wiU  be  the 
harder  to  stop  of  the  two. 

In  a  country  like  British  East  Africa  you  will  only  be 
allowed  to  shoot  one  buffalo  a  year,  but  there  is  no 
limit  to  the  number  of  lions  you  may  shoot.  On  the 
other  hand,  you  will  perhaps  have  less  difficulty  in  find- 
ing your  one  buffalo  than  your  first  lion. 

Finally,  it  is  impossible  to  say  which  is  really  most 
dangerous,  and  it  depends  a  lot  on  the  carefulness  or 
recklessness  of  the  hunter.  Personally  I  am  more  afraid 
of  the  buffalo,  because  I  have  not  yet  been  mauled  by 
him.  The  closest  thing  I  had  with  one  was  when  I  shot 
one  charging  with  my  muzzle  touching  his  chest. 


84     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

Once  I  was  out  hoping  to  get  a  buck  or  two,  to  eke 
out  my  porters'  rations,  at  a  time  when  we  were  very- 
hard  up  for  food.  We  had  done  a  trek  that  morning 
and  I  was  just  going  for  an  evening  stroll  round  camp 
with  only  soft-nosed  cartridges.  I  was  with  my  gun- 
bearer  Tengeneza,  and  we  were  on  an  open  plain  beside 
a  stream.  Suddenly  we  saw  the  top  of  a  black  back 
coming  up  from  the  dip  of  the  stream  towards  us.  I 
sat  down  on  the  plain  behind  a  tuft  of  grass  which 
would  hardly  have  given  shelter  to  a  rabbit,  whilst 
Tengeneza  knelt  beside  me. 

Presently  the  owner  of  the  black  back  loomed  into 
sight,  an  enormous  old  solitary  buffalo,  strolling  towards 
us.  He  was  coming  so  dead  on  that  it  was  difficult  to 
get  a  good  shot,  but  finally  I  took  aim  at  the  side  of 
the  shoulder  and  fired.  He  immediately  put  down  his 
head  and  came  straight  towards  us.  There  was  nothing 
to  aim  at  but  his  massive  skull,  and  I  put  my  second 
barrel  into  that.  I  found  out  afterwards  that  the  soft- 
nosed  bullet  did  not  penetrate  more  than  the  horny  boss. 

At  this  he  snorted  and  looked  round  and  then  trotted 
to  a  position  about  twenty  yards  to  our  left  and  stamped 
the  ground  and  looked  from  left  to  right.  Tengeneza 
put  my  mannlicher  into  my  hand  and  I  gave  him  a  shot 
in  the  shoulder;  at  this  he  turned  round  and  again 
came  towards  us,  whilst  I  put  another  ineffectual  shot 
in.  If  he  had  gone  on  past  us  another  ten  yards,  he 
must  have  had  our  wind. 


ABOUT   BUFFALO  85 

Meanwhile  Tengeneza  had  reloaded  the  big  bore, 
which  by  the  way  was  very  old  and  worn,  and  not  a  hard 
hitter,  and  exchanged  it  for  my  mannlicher  as  coolly 
as  possible.  The  buffalo  now  came  trotting  across  our 
front,  still  looking  for  us,  whilst  I  put  a  shot  in  his 
right  side,  and  then  as  he  passed,  another  oblique  one 
behind  the  shoulder.  He  looked  round  again,  only  now 
rather  staggered,  and  I  took  the  mannlicher  and  put 
another  oblique  shot  in,  which  finally  brought  him 
down. 

Directly  he  was  down  I  went  to  examine  his  eyes,  as 
from  his  not  having  seen  two  figures  at  twenty  yards  on 
the  open  plain,  I  could  only  assume  that  he  was  stone 
blind.  I  found  that  his  eyes  were  perfectly  sound, 
and  how  he  did  not  see  us  whilst  I  fired  seven  shots  and 
exchanged  rifles  three  times  I  cannot  imagine.  At 
every  shot  he  snorted  and  looked  round,  and  every 
moment  I  expected  to  see  him  come  tearing  at  us.  My 
generous  thought  during  these  moments  was,  "I  hope 
he  takes  Tengeneza  first,  as  it  will  give  me  a  chance  of 
putting  a  point  blank  shot  into  his  side." 

Tengeneza  was  one  of  Neumann's  donkey  men.  He 
was  afterwards  a  porter  on  the  East  African  Survey. 
My  first  acquaintance  with  him  was  when  I  was  starting 
from  the  Ithanga  Mountains  down  the  bank  of  the 
Tana.  He  had  been  sent  from  another  party  to  me 
with  a  letter  and  arrived  just  as  we  were  breaking  up 
camp.     As  all  my  porters  had  loads  I  gave  him  my 


86     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

water  bottle  and  cartridge  bag  to  carry.  On  the  morn- 
ing's march  I  wounded  a  lion.  He  showed  such  intelli- 
gent interest  in  following  up  the  spoor,  so  unlike  the 
usual  professional  porter,  and  was  so  cool  and  collected 
when  we  suddenly  came  on  it  in  thick  thorn,  that  I 
made  him  into  a  gunbearer  from  that  moment. 

Since  then  he  has  trekked  with  me  over  a  consider- 
able part  of  East  Africa,  through  Uganda,  in  the  Lado 
Enclave,  and  through  Abyssinia,  and  he  has  always  been 
staunch  and  reliable,  as  the  above  incident  will  show. 
Most  bona  fide  gunbearers  would  have  either  fired  or 
cut  and  run  under  similar  circumstances,  but  Tengeneza 
was  only  a  porter. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  northern  buffalo  were  more 
dangerous  than  those  of  the  south.  I  refer  to  the  Cape 
buffalo  in  both  cases.  I  do  not  remember  hearing  of 
any  accidents  occurring  with  buffalo  in  either  Portu- 
guese East  Africa  or  North  Eastern  Rhodesia,  and  cer- 
tainly the  ones  I  shot  in  those  countries  never  showed 
any  fight.  I  omit  Nyasaland,  as  the  buffalo  was  pre- 
served there  whilst  I  was  in  that  country.  Selous  too 
did  not  consider  the  buffalo  a  very  dangerous  animal, 
and  in  the  old  days  when  thousands  of  buffaloes  were 
shot  in  South  Africa  fatalities  were  very  few. 

In  the  north,  however,  I  have  heard  of  numbers  of 
accidents  occurring  in  British  East  Africa,  Uganda,  and 
the  Sudan,  with  the  same  buffalo,  the  Cape  buffalo, 
although  in  some  cases  it  was  not  definitely  proved  which 


ABOUT  BUFFALO  87 

species  of  buffalo  it  was.  Also  in  the  north  I  have 
seen  time  after  time  that  impudent  stare,  and  the  com- 
ing nearer  to  have  a  better  look  which  I  do  not  remem- 
ber in  the  south,  although  the  sentinels  would  of  course 
stare  till  they  had  made  out  what  you  were,  and  then 
they  were  off  like  lightning. 

The  Abyssinians  have  a  great  respect  for  the  buffalo, 
and  used,  I  believe,  to  count  the  killing  of  a  buffalo  as 
equal  to  that  of  six  men  in  their  awards  for  valour. 
Their  buffalo  is  of  course  the  Abyssinian  buffalo,  which 
bears  a  smaller  head  than  the  Cape  one. 

I  brought  a  very  fine  Cape  buffalo  head  through 
Abyssinia,  from  south  to  north,  which  I  had  shot  on 
the  way  up.  Everybody  we  passed  on  the  road  used 
to  stop  and  turn  round  and  stare  at  it  as  it  was  carried 
along  on  a  porter's  head.  They  were  greatly  astonished 
at  its  size,  and  one  Abyssinian  offered  to  exchange  it  for 
his  mule. 

The  safest  and  easiest  way  I  have  ever  heard  of 
shooting  buffalo  was  that  practised  by  some  Abyssinian 
hunters.  There  is  an  oasis  called  by  the  Borana 
"Gamra,"  which  I  discovered  in  the  desert  south  of 
Abyssinia.  It  consists  of  a  pool  of  water  welling  out 
of  the  sand.  There  is  no  other  water  for  many  miles 
in  every  direction,  and  the  game  come  from  very  far  to 
drink  at  this  spot  at  night. 

A  party  of  Abyssinian  hunters  had  made  a  stockade 
on  a  Httle  patch  of  dry  ground  in  the  middle  of  the  pool. 


88     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

inside  which  to  await  game.  The  bones  of  Hon,  buffalo, 
and  Oryx  lying  all  round  testified  to  the  success  of  their 
manoeuvre. 

Towards  the  end  of  191 1  there  was  an  outbreak  of 
what  was  said  to  be  rinderpest,  which  swept  down  the 
east  bank  of  the  Nile  north  of  Lake  Albert.  About 
Nimule  and  Gondokoro  the  natives  lost  80  or  90  per 
cent  of  their  cattle.  At  the  same  time  quantities  of 
buffalo  collected  at  the  north  end  of  Uganda  between 
Gondokoro  and  Mongalla,  and  probably  hundreds  died 
in  quite  a  small  area. 

Where  all  the  buffalo  collected  from  is  not  known, 
but  for  a  few  days  there  was  a  great  number,  and  the 
district  was  dotted  with  dead  carcasses.  Then  they 
disappeared;  the  natives  said  that  they  had  collected 
in  a  great  herd,  and  all  trekked  off  towards  Abyssinia, 
At  the  beginning  of  191 2,  however,  buffalo  were  observed 
to  be  in  their  old  haunts  again,  though  probably  in 
reduced  numbers,  so  these  collected  together  must 
have  broken  up  again. 

Of  late  years  there  has  been  a  lot  of  hair-splitting  in 
the  subdivision  of  buffalo  into  countless  different 
varieties  judged  by  differences  in  shape  or  structure  of 
the  horns.  I  do  not  pretend  to  have  scientifically 
studied  the  subject,  but  any  practical  naturalist  who 
has  observed  and  shot  buffalo  will  agree  that  in  any 
herd  of  buffalo  there  are  many  different  shapes  of  horns, 
and  that  moreover  the  appearance  differs  enormously 


ABOUT   BUFFALO  89 

according  to  the  age  of  its  possessor.  When  one  reads 
that  the  length  of  the  smooth  tips  of  the  horns  is  in- 
dicative of  one  variety,  the  extreme  flatness  of  the  basal 
portion  of  another,  shorter  tips  another,  massive  bosses, 
tips  rapidly  diminishing  in  diameter,  tips  long  and 
tapering  and  so  on  and  so  forth,  each  distinctive  of  a 
variety,  one  becomes  a  little  sceptical  if  such  charac- 
teristics really  do  denote  different  varieties.  Not 
only  are  all  the  characteristics  above  displayed  in  the 
buffaloes  of  one  herd  but  a  single  old  buffalo  may  have, 
at  different  times  of  its  life,  answered  to  all  or  nearly  all 
these  descriptions.  He  starts  with  the  smooth  horns, 
which  gradually  get  more  corrugated  at  the  bosses. 
They  then  become  horns  with  long,  smooth  tips ;  later 
the  coruscations  reach  farther  up  the  horn  and  the 
bosses  become  more  massive,  whilst  the  points  are  long 
and  tapering.  Later  he  will,  by  fighting  or  digging  up 
salt  earth,  blunt,  wear  down,  and  shorten  the  tips  till 
they  are  rapidly  diminishing  in  diameter,  and  finally, 
if  he  lives  long  enough,  or  fights  incessantly  enough,  he 
will  wear  the  bosses  of  his  horns  smooth  and  flat. 

I  admit  that  horns  are  as  a  rule  wonderfully  good 
indications  of  varieties  and  species,  as  is  instanced  by 
the  varieties  of  grant  and  hartebeest,  which  can  usually 
be  detected  by  their  horns  alone.  However,  in  the  case 
of  the  buffalo,  any  such  deductions  should  be  based  on  a 
great  mass  of  evidence,  that  is  to  say,  numbers  of  horns 
from   each   area    suspected   of   producing   a   variety. 


90     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Perhaps  amongst  all  the  hollow-horned  ruminants  the 
buffalo  is  most  variable  in  the  shape  of  the  horns  of 
individuals  and  of  the  same  individual  at  different 
times  of  its  existence. 

Again  the  case  of  the  points  turning  upwards,  down- 
wards, inwards  or  outwards  is  also  adduced  as  t3^ical 
of  varieties.  With  an  animal  who  knocks  his  horns  about 
so  much  as  a  buffalo,  I  hold  that  some  small  deviations 
in  the  direction  of  the  points  are  due  to  accidents  of 
youth.  A  slight  dent  or  chip  at  the  tip,  when  the  horn 
is  growing,  will  often  tend  to  make  it  take  a  slightly 
different  direction,  although  I  admit  that  any  great 
variation  in  any  direction  from  the  normal  is  unlikely 
to  have  been  caused  to  both  horns  identically. 

The  Dinkas  usually  have  a  pet,  and  perhaps  half 
sacred,  bull  in  every  kraal.  This  animal,  from  the  time 
it  is  a  calf,  is  treated  quite  differently  from  all  others.  It 
is  tied  up  in  a  special  place,  especially  looked  after  and 
fed,  and  is  the  playmate  of  the  children.  It  can  be 
recognised  at  a  glance,  as  the  tip  of  one  horn  grows 
downward  and  the  other  upward.  This  growth  is 
caused  by  cutting  or  shaving  off  the  underside  of 
one  horn  and  the  upper  side  of  the  other  when  it  is 
a  calf. 

Similarly,  I  take  it,  in  a  buffalo  a  chip  or  bruise  on  the 
horn  tips  in  early  life  would  materially  affect  the  sub- 
sequent growth  of  the  horn.  Also  a  buffalo  given  from 
an  early  age  to  dig  up  earth  for  salt,  or  perhaps  one 


ABOUT   BUFFALO  91 

living  in  a  locality  with  especially  hard  soil  would  have 
materially  blunted  and  shortened  horns. 

Perhaps  the  critic  might  say  that  all  buffalo  living  in 
a  given  locality  would  be  affected  equally  by  such  a 
consideration,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  Apart  from  the 
buffalo,  the  African  ruminant  that  is  in  the  habit  of 
blunting  its  horns  to  the  greatest  extent  is  the  roan. 
In  the  same  herd  I  have  shot  a  roan  with  long,  tapering 
tips  and  one  with  horns  perhaps  six  inches  shorter  than 
they  would  have  been  if  allowed  to  grow  naturally,  — 
horns  tapering  almost  like  a  sable's,  and  horns  blunted 
to  a  stump. 

The  females  and  young  of  buffalo  are,  as  amongst 
most  game  animals,  lighter  coloured  than  the  adult 
male.  This  is  not  so  noticeable  with  the  Cape  Buffalo 
as  it  is  with  the  Congo,  in  which  species  the  young  are  of 
quite  a  reddish  colour  whilst  only  the  old  bulls  show  up 
as  black. 

The  buffalo  is  perhaps  more  dependent  on  water 
than  any  other  game  animal,  save  those  types  which 
are  more  or  less  amphibious,  viz..  Lech  we  and  Situtunga. 
He  is  seldom  found  far  from  water,  and  when  the  sun  is 
hot  often  drinks  several  times  during  the  day. 

Nearly  aU  game  seem  to  object  to  the  smell  of  the 
human  being  much  more  than  the  sight.  As  said 
above,  the  buffalo  will  often  stare  in  an  interested  way 
on  seeing  one.  When  he  finally  decides  to  go  off  he  will 
perhaps  only  go  a  short  distance  and  then  wheel  round 


92     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

again  to  have  another  look.  This  seems  to  be  especially 
the  case  in  the  north. 

Whilst  following  elephant  spoor  in  the  Lado  once, 
through  a  bamboo  country,  I  met  a  herd  of  buffalo 
walking  towards  me.  I  was  unwilling  to  make  a  noise 
for  fear  that  the  elephant  might  be  near,  and  for  the 
same  reason  I  did  not  wish  to  stampede  the  buffalo  up 
the  elephants'  tracks,  as  they  often  make  a  tremendous 
noise  stampeding,  especially  in  bamboo.  So  I  waited 
to  one  side  of  the  track,  and  when  the  leading  ones 
came  level  with  me,  I  showed  myself,  hoping  that  they 
would  go  off  to  a  flank. 

However,  after  having  gazed  at  me  for  a  bit,  they 
stampeded  back  up  the  elephant  track  in  a  leisurely 
way.  After  proceeding  a  few  hundred  yards  I  found 
them  grazing,  this  time  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  track. 
I  waved  my  arms  at  them,  but  they  only  stood  and 
stared,  and  it  was  not  till  I  got  well  within  the  hundred 
yards  that  they  went  off  again.  Not  far  on,  I  met  them 
again  for  the  third  time,  but  this  time  they  went  off  to 
one  side  and  left  the  elephant  track.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  they  smell  one,  they  generally  stampede  in 
earnest  and  sometimes  even  the  smell  of  one's  tracks 
is  enough  to  set  them  off. 

I  believe  that  the  sense  of  smell  is  in  much  more 
direct  connection  with  the  brain  than  the  sense  of  sight. 
Even  with  us  human  beings,  who  have  lost  this  sense 
to  a  great  extent,  there  is  nothing  like  a  scent  to  sud- 


ABOUT   BUFFALO  93 

denly  and  vividly  recall  forgotten  memories.  A  sound 
and  sight  will  appear  familiar  but  the  mind  will  gener- 
ally have  to  grope  after  what  it  recalls,  whilst  with  a 
scent  the  memory  is  an  instantaneous  flash.  Perhaps 
this,  then,  is  the  reason  why  the  duller- witted  beast  re- 
sponds so  much  more  quickly,  and  is  so  much  more 
affected  by  the  sudden,  noxious  smell  of  the  human 
being  than  he  is  by  his  sight. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AFRICAN  RIVERS   AND   SWAMPS 

In  most  parts  of  tropical  Africa  the  year  is  divided 
into  a  dry  and  a  wet  season.  During  the  dry  season 
the  land  is  parched,  the  tall  grass  dies  and  is  burnt,  and 
the  bush  fires  shrivel  up  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  The 
air  is  full  of  dust  and  ashes,  the  sun  shines  in  a  cloudless 
sky,  and  long  marches  have  to  be  made  between  water- 
holes,  which  as  often  as  not  contain  nothing  but  foul 
mud. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  rains  all  is  changed,  the  trees 
put  out  fresh  leaves,  green  grass  springs  up  ever3rwhere, 
at  first  not  long  enough  to  be  a  hindrance,  and  the  air 
is  cooled  by  the  first  showers.  As  the  rains  continue, 
however,  the  grass  grows  up  rank  and  tall,  all  low-lying 
country  turns  into  swamp,  through  which  the  traveller 
has  to  wade  ankle  or  knee  deep  in  mud,  sometimes  for 
hours  at  a  stretch,  and  the  numerous  rivers  and  water- 
courses in  flood  form  serious  obstacles  to  progress. 
This  splashing  through  slippery  mud  is  most  fatiguing 
and  exasperating,  besides  being  conducive  to  fever, 
rheumatism,  and  ruination  of  boot  leather.  One  of  the 
most  unpleasant  treks  I  have  made  was  down  the  Nile 
bank  in  the  Lado  Enclave  at  the  end  of  a  very  wet  year. 

94 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND   SWAMPS  95 

Every  few  miles  one  had  to  cross  a  broad  swamp,  and  as 
often  as  not,  on  arriving  at  the  current  or  stream  which 
fed  it,  one  would  find,  if  there  had  been  heavy  rain  during 
the  last  day  or  two,  that  it  was  too  deep  to  ford,  and  one 
must  raft  all  one's  things  across. 

I  was  coming  down  from  Mount  Wati  to  Dufile,  which 
station  then  had  been  abandoned  by  the  Belgians  only 
a  few  years  back.  On  reaching  the  Koshi  River  I  found 
that  it  was  in  flood.  The  local  natives  produced  an 
ambatch  raft  and  after  two  and  a  half  hours'  work 
everything  was  got  safely  across.  We  then  marched 
on  for  three  hours  and  rested,  and  then  did  another 
hour,  which  brought  us  to  an  enormous  swamp  in  our 
path,  lying  in  a  flat-bottomed  valley  filled  with  water 
and  reeds. 

We  started  crossing  at  2  p.  m.,  and  after  two  hours  of 
slipping  and  struggling  in  the  water  and  mud,  some- 
times chest  deep,  and  sometimes  only  knee  deep,  we  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  solid,  dry  bank  of  the 
other  side  only  a  few  hundred  yards  off.  In  another 
ten  minutes,  I  thought,  the  wretched  porters  who  had 
been  going  all  day  and  who  had  been  wallowing  through 
mfles  of  mud  without  being  able  to  put  down  their  loads, 
would  be  able  to  have  a  rest. 

However,  at  this  moment  we  suddenly  struck  the 
current  or  channel  of  the  original  watercourse  which 
supplied  the  swamp,  and  it  was  over  one's  head.  I 
called  a  halt  and  they  had  to  stand  with  their  loads  on 


96     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

their  heads,  waist  deep  in  water,  whilst  I  reconnoitred 
up  and  down  to  see  if  I  could  find  a  fordable  place. 
The  men  carrying  tusks  had  the  laugh  over  their 
fellows,  as  they  were  able  to  stand  their  burdens  up  on 
end  in  the  water. 

I  tried  in  several  places,  but  without  result;  once  I 
suddenly  slipped  into  deep  water  and  sank  like  a  plum- 
met, and  only  managed  to  pull  myself  up  again  by 
clutching  at  the  reeds.  I  never  made  out  the  reason 
for  this,  as  I  did  not  come  up  after  reaching  the  bottom; 
perhaps  the  water  bulged  out  my  open  shirt  and  acted 
on  the  principle  of  the  parachute  reversed.  Meanwhile, 
the  sun  sank  inexorably;  now  there  was  only  another 
hour  of  sunlight  left  and  two  hours  of  swamp  behind 
us  if  we  were  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the  bank  we 
had  come  from. 

Whilst  wondering  what  to  do  we  heard  the  sound  of 
a  drum  from  the  hill  above  us;  there  was  evidently  a 
village  there.  It  was  no  good  shouting,  as  the  people 
were  so  timid  and  suspicious  of  strangers  that  it  would 
only  have  driven  them  away.  They  appeared  always 
in  constant  fear  of  attack  till  their  fears  were  allayed. 
As  nearly  every  village  was  at  that  time  hostile  to  its 
neighbour,  we  found  it  almost  impossible  to  get  any 
accurate  information  about  the  people  ahead,  or  the 
route,  and  generally  had  to  go  blindly  on  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  one  wished  to  go.  Moreover,  on  suddenly 
appearing  in  a  new  village,  there  was  always  the  uncer- 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND    SWAMPS  97 

tainty  of  how  one  would  be  greeted.  Sometimes,  every 
soul  in  the  village  would  fly  into  the  bush.  At  other 
times,  the  women  would  go  and  the  men  remain  and  be 
just  sulky,  refusing  to  do  anything  for  one;  occasionally 
they  would  be  most  friendly.  They  were  always 
friendly  in  the  long  nm,  but  it  sometimes  took  a  few 
days  to  accomplish  this  result. 

I  was  the  only  one  amongst  my  whole  party  who 
could  swim,  so  the  alternatives  which  offered  were, 
that  I  should  swim  across  and  try  to  get  help,  or  that 
we  should  all  return.  As  the  porters  were  chiefly 
affected,  I  put  it  to  them,  "Shall  we  go  back  and 
camp  the  other  side  and  have  all  this  crossing  to  do 
again  to-morrow,  or  shall  I  leave  you  here  and  see  if 
I  can  get  help?" 

They  one  and  all  decided  on  the  latter,  so  I  took  off 
aU  my  clothes,  excepting  a  thin  vest,  swam  across,  and 
made  my  way  up  the  opposite  hill  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  drumbeats  had  seemed  to  come.  Pres- 
ently I  saw  two  men  walking  along;  they  had  not  seen 
me,  so  I  followed  them  quietly  till  we  came  in  sight  of  a 
village,  and  then  called  to  them.  They  stared  for  a  bit 
and  commenced  to  run. 

At  any  rate,  it  would  be  a  difficult  business  to  rush 
into  a  strange  and  possibly  hostile  village  and  make  the 
natives  bustle  out  immediately  to  help  one  out  of  a 
predicament,  especially  when  only  knowing  a  few  words 
of  a  language,  which  they  might  or  might  not  also 


98     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

know.  It  seemed  almost  impossible  that  I  would  be 
able  to  prevail  on  them  to  bring  help  to  my  unfor- 
tunate porters  before  dark.  The  native  is  usually  so 
slow  and  wants  to  talk  such  a  lot  first,  and  now  every 
minute  was  of  importance.  Moreover,  one  cannot  be 
said  to  be  quite  at  one's  best  when  making  a  first  appear- 
ance in  a  new  society  practically  naked.  I  called 
again  to  the  two  men,  and  they  seemed  half  inclined 
to  stop,  so  I  hurried  on  and  entered  the  zariba  of  the 
village  just  behind  them.  There  were  several  men 
standing  about,  and  fortunately  I  saw  a  log  of  am- 
batch  lying  on  the  ground,  so  I  pointed  to  it  and 
trotted  out  the  few  words  of  Bangala  I  then  knew. 
"Porters,  big  water,  presents,  calico."  I  then  jostled 
the  man  I  took  to  be  the  chief  out  of  the  village  and 
pointed  towards  the  swamp,  and  in  five  minutes  I  was 
on  my  way  back  with  twenty  or  so  men  and  ambatch 
enough  for  a  raft. 

We  reached  my  porters  just  after  sunset  and  got 
everything  across  the  intervening  space  of  deep  water, 
which  only  proved  to  be  about  twenty  yards  wide,  be- 
fore it  was  quite  dark.  The  villagers  played  up  well, 
and  it  was  very  lucky  that  they  were  a  willing  and  intel- 
ligent lot. 

I  took  good  care  after  this  experience  to  obtain  some 
ambatch  of  my  own,  as  soon  as  I  reached  a  spot  where 
it  was  procurable,  and  after  that  always  trekked  about 
with    sufficient    to    make    an    emergency    raft.     The 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND   SWAMPS  99 

ambatch  is  a  kind  of  thorn  tree  which  grows  in  water  or 
swamp.  Its  wood  is  a  sort  of  pith  and  so  hght  that 
what  appears  to  be  a  great  baulk  of  wood  can  be  bal- 
anced on  one  finger. 

One  reads  in  the  boys'  story  books  that  the  hunter, 
when  he  comes  to  a  river,  cuts  down  trees  and  makes  a 
raft  on  the  spot.  In  Africa  any  wood  that  I  have  tried, 
freshly  cut  in  this  way,  immediately  sinks  to  the  bottom 
or  floats  under  water.  Fallen  and  dead  trees  are  eaten 
by  white  ants  or  burnt  in  the  annual  bush  fires,  and  so 
the  chances  are  that  there  is  no  dead  or  dry  timber 
available. 

I  used  to  carry  eleven  poles  of  ambatch,  two  of  which 
were  cut  in  half.  This  made  a  load  for  one  porter. 
When  we  came  to  an  unfordable  stream,  if  the  current 
was  not  too  swift,  we  used  to 
lash  these  into  a  raft  with  the 
porters'  sticks  as  crosspieces. 
The  nine  full  length  logs  were 
lashed  together  at  the  base,  ^"^'°" 

whilst  the  four  halves  were  built  up  in  a  platform  at 
one  end,  as  in  the  diagrams. 

This  would  just  take  one  load  high  and  dry  out  of 
the  water  lashed  on  to  the  platform,  or  one  porter  lying 
along  the  raft,  with  the  water  lapping  over  him.  The 
raft  is  propelled  by  a  man  swimming  behind.  The 
reason  that  the  load  is  lashed  on  the  forward  end  and 
not  the  middle  is  that  the  swimmer  rests  his  hands,  and 


loo     HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

part  of  his  weight,  on  the  rear  end,  which  counter- 
balances the  load. 

Naturally,  crossing  the  loads  one  by  one  was  a  very 
slow  process,  and  if  the  river  were  at  all  wide,  lasted 


Load  rests  hen 


I 'A 


Swimmer 
Bamboo  otiCK---..        pusheshere-, 

K-"''' 


Side   Elevation 

most  of  the  day,  as  at  each  crossing  the  raft  would  be 
taken  by  the  current  to  a  point  on  the  opposite  bank 
several  hundred  yards  down-stream  of  its  starting 
point.  It  would  then  have  to  be  taken  out,  carried  up- 
stream again,  and  crossed  back  to  the  near  bank. 

I  was  coming  up  the  Uganda  bank  of  the  Nile  once, 
when  I  reached  a  river  so  heavily  in  flood  that  it  was 
then  impossible  to  cross.  As  I  was  in  a  hurry,  I  con- 
ceived the  project  of  rounding  the  mouth  in  canoes  by 
way  of  the  Nile.  The  next  thing  was  to  procure  canoes. 
The  native  is  always  very  chary  about  lending  his 
canoes  in  this  part,  and  hides  them  in  the  sudd. 

I  struck  a  village  on  the  bank  and  the  natives  said,  as 
usual,  that  they  had  no  canoes.  I  knew  that  they  had, 
as  I  saw  fish  and  fish  traps  in  the  village.  After  hours 
of  discussion  and  promises  of  presents,  they  admitted 
having  two  and  said  that  they  would  bring  them  for  me. 
They  assured  me,  however,  that  I  had  come  to  quite 
the  wrong  place  for  canoes,  the  place  for  them  being  a 


AFRICAN   RIVERS  AND   SWAMPS  loi 

village  on  the  Nile  the  other  side  of  the  impassable 
river.  Not  only  had  the  chief  there  an  unlimited  num- 
ber of  canoes  but  he  had  big  ones  which  would  hold 
many  men.  The  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  is 
always  just  ahead  according  to  the  native. 

After  a  long  and  aggravating  delay,  finally  a  small 
and  very  leaky  canoe  was  produced.  I  decided  to  go 
on  in  this  and  found  that  it  would  just  take  my  tent, 
one  box,  and  my  cook  besides  myself  and  the  paddler. 
I  told  the  head  man  to  try  to  procure  more  and  come 
on  with  them,  whilst  I  would  try  and  get  some  ahead 
and  send  them  back. 

It  was  impossible  to  tell  how  far  it  was  to  our  destina- 
tion, as  the  channels  in  the  sudd  wind  so  and  sometimes 
take  one  right  over  to  the  opposite  bank,  several  miles 
distant,  and  back  again,  to  progress  only  a  mile  or  two 
up-stream.  We  started  in  the  afternoon,  and  by  night- 
fall found  ourselves  in  the  middle  of  the  Nile  with  sev- 
eral miles  of  sudd  between  us  and  the  bank  on  either 
side.  The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  push  into  a  clump  of 
papyrus,  and  wait  there  till  morning. 

If  I  ever  spent  a  more  uncomfortable  night  I  cannot 
remember  it.  The  various  holes  in  the  canoe  had  been 
stuffed  up  with  mud,  which  came  out  in  the  dark,  and 
we  had  to  spend  all  night  baling  whilst  sitting  in  a 
few  inches  of  muddy  water  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe.  The  mosquitoes  buzzed  in  clouds,  and  the 
hippopotamus  splashed  round,  and  there  was  always 


I02     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  uncomforting  reflection  that  one  might  get  inquisi- 
tive and  investigate  our  craft.  I  had  no  tobacco 
and  no  food.  To  add  to  our  misery  it  commenced 
to  rain,  and  the  clouds  made  the  night  absolutely 
dark. 

At  the  first  streak  of  dawn,  we  had  a  final  bale  out 
and  plugged  up  the  holes  once  more  and  then  set  sail 
and  reached  our  destination  in  a  couple  of  hours.  No 
sooner  had  we  got  the  tent  on  shore  and  commenced 
putting  it  up  than  a  fearful  thunderstorm  burst,  aU 
the  villagers  fled  for  their  houses,  and  left  the  cook  and 
myself  wrestling  with  the  tent  in  a  gale  of  wind. 

It  only  lasted  half  an  hour,  and  then  the  sun  came  out 
and  I  got  hold  of  the  local  chief.  He  pursued  quite 
different  tactics  to  the  others.  Yes,  he  had  a  few 
canoes,  they  would  be  here  in  a  minute;  we  waited  an 
hour,  and  no  canoes  came.  "Where  were  they?" 
"Oh,  just  coming."  Another  hour  and  nothing  came. 
Meanwhile  I  was  foodless,  and  my  porters  patiently 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  canoes  I  had  promised  to 
send,  and  probably  not  liking  to  help  themselves  to 
their  rations  as  I  was  not  present  to  give  them  out. 

I  hate  using  drastic  methods  with  natives,  but  there  is 
a  limit  to  one's  forbearance.  At  the  end  of  the  second 
hour,  I  asked  where  the  canoes  were.  The  chief  said 
"just  coming,"  so  I  caught  hold  of  him,  and  holding  his 
arms  behind  his  back,  told  him  that  if  he  did  not  tell 
his  people  to  produce  the  canoes  at  once,  I  was  going 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND   SWAMPS  103 

to  beat  him  till  he  would  be  unable  to  walk  or  stand 
or  sit  ever  again. 

The  canoes  appeared  like  magic,  and  were  despatched 
for  the  porters,  and  then  I  set  to  work  to  lay  all  the 
things  in  my  box  out  to  dry  in  the  sun. 

Fortunately  my  papers  on  the  top  were  dry. 

The  reader  may  ask  why  I  did  not  bring  a  box  of  food 
instead  of  the  tent  or  papers.  There  was  only  room 
for  a  couple  of  loads  in  the  canoe.  I  took  the  tent, 
making  sure  we  should  arrive  that  night,  and  I  did  not 
rehsh  spending  it  in  the  open  as  it  was  then  raining 
every  night.  The  box  contained  my  money,  diary, 
and  writings,  and  I  never  parted  from  it.  I  obtained 
a  chicken  at  the  village  which  I  cooked  spatch- 
cock, and  some  dura  flour  which  I  ate  out  of  half  a 
gourd. 

In  the  evening  my  things  turned  up,  everything  wet 
through,  gun  cases,  trade  salt,  porters'  food,  trade 
goods,  but  this  was  only  what  had  constantly  happened 
before.  One  of  the  canoes  containing  porters  had  sunk 
on  the  way,  at  least  it  had  filled  with  water  and 
remained  floating  with  its  gunwales  level  with  the 
surface  and  the  porters  holding  on  to  it,  till  they  were 
rescued  by  other  canoes. 

The  African  canoe  is  always  the  dirtiest,  most  leaky, 
and  ramshackle  conveyance  imaginable.  It  is  cum- 
brous, yet  seldom  stable.  At  every  crossing  one  holds 
one's  breath  as  the  rocky,  leaking  vessel  containing 


I04     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

one's  hard-earned  tusks  or  box  of  valuables  meets  the 
current,  and  rocks  too  and  fro.  It  is  always  with 
the  greatest  relief  that  one  lands  the  last  load  on  the 
far  bank. 

Near  Nimule  there  is  a  crossing  at  a  narrow  place 
where  the  stream  of  the  Nile  is  very  strong.  The  canoes 
are  very  narrow  at  the  top,  and  broaden  out  below. 
The  opening  at  the  top  is  but  a  narrow  slit  and  the 
passenger  has  to  squirm  in  sideways  to  get  his  hips 
into  the  body  of  the  boat.  He  then  takes  his  seat  in 
the  usual  two  inches  of  muddy  water  at  the  bottom, 
and  the  canoe  is  pushed  out  into  the  current,  swaying 
dangerously.  The  traveller,  however  good  a  swimmer 
he  may  be,  must  now  sink  or  swim  with  the  canoe,  for 
if  it  capsizes  he  is  successfully  pinned  inside,  caught 
by  the  hips,  so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  slip  out. 
There  appear  to  be  no  new  canoes  in  Africa.  They 
are  all  of  vast  antiquity,  the  wood  is  rotten  and  cracked, 
and  they  all  leak.  I  only  remember  one  exception, 
and  then  by  the  extraordinary  fatality  which  insists 
on  the  smaller  African  canoes  being  the  height  of 
discomfort,  I  was  not  enabled  to  have  a  clean  or  dry 
passage. 

I  was  on  one  of  the  rivers  which  flow  into  Lake  Bang- 
weolo  (this  lake  is  called  Wemba  by  the  natives),  and 
wanted  to  cross  to  the  other  side,  so  the  head  man  of 
the  village  took  me  down  to  the  river's  edge,  and  hailed 
one  of  two  canoes  which  were  fishing  a  little  way  off 


Floating  My  Tent  across  a  Swollen  River  on  a  Raft 


The  .\erican  Canoe  propelled  by  a  Pole 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND   SWAMPS  105 

the  shore.  It  came  into  the  bank,  and  behold  it  was 
a  brand  new  one,  clean  and  dry,  the  first  I  had  ever 
seen. 

Whilst  marvelling  at  this,  the  fisherman  went  off  to 
the  village  with  the  paddle;  it  never  struck  him  that 
we  should  require  a  paddle  with  the  canoe.  The 
head  man  rushed  after  him  and  I  waited,  contemplat- 
ing with  pleasure  the  first  dry  canoe  journey  I  was 
to  have. 

At  this  moment  a  native  from  the  village  arrived 
at  the  river's  edge  with  an  enormous  gourd  with  which 
to  draw  water.  The  water  was  shallow  and  muddy 
near  the  bank,  and  seeing  a  canoe  to  hand  he  stepped 
into  it  and  walking  to  the  far  end,  leant  over  and  filled 
his  gourd  from  the  deeper  and  cleaner  water.  Having 
done  so,  he  turned  round  and  fell  flat  on  his  face  in  the 
bottom  of  the  canoe,  breaking  his  gourd  and  filling  the 
bottom  with  water.  This  is  the  nearest  I  have  ever 
been  to  having  an  absolutely  dry  canoe  journey,  ex- 
cept on  those  rare  occasions  when  one  meets  a  canoe 
big  and  stable  enough  to  carry  one  sitting  on  a  tent 
or  box. 

The  natives  about  Bangweolo  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  same  objection  as  those  of  the  Nile  to  lending 
their  canoes.  They  were  always  ready  and  willing  to 
do  their  best.  At  one  place,  the  Lulingira  River,  I  gave 
out  one  evening  to  a  miserable  little  village  that  I 
wanted  to  cross  next  day.     As  they  only  had  one  canoe, 


io6     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

they  immediately  sent  word  to  the  villages  up  and 
down  stream  to  send  their  craft,  and  in  the  morning 
I  found  a  fleet  of  four  drawn  up  ready,  the  best  that 
could  be  produced  in  the  locality. 

The  flagship  had  nothing  particularly  wrong  about 
it,  except  that  it  leaked  badly.  It  could  carry  two  of 
my  porters  across  at  a  time.  The  next  best  would 
take  one  man  and  one  box.  The  third  seemed  to 
have  been  torpedoed,  as  there  was  a  great  gap  on  the 
starboard  side.  However,  it  would  carry  one  man  if  he 
leant  out  to  the  port  side,  so  as  to  keep  the  broken  part 
out  of  the  water.  The  fourth  and  last  had  its  bow 
broken  away.  This  would  also  hold  one  man  if  he  sat 
right  aft,  so  as  to  tilt  the  broken  nose  above  water. 

So  long  as  a  canoe  can  be  plugged  or  made  to  keep 
above  water  at  all,  it  never  occurs  to  the  native  to  make 
another.  One  would  think  that  a  tribe  or  village  that 
subsisted  almost  entirely  on  fish  would  be  careful  al- 
ways to  have  a  serviceable  canoe;  but  they  prefer  to  go 
on  for  years  with  half  a  canoe,  rather  than  go  to  the 
trouble  of  making  a  new  one. 

One  of  the  most  trying  native  paths  I  have  ever 
walked  on,  I  think,  was  one  across  the  Bangweolo  flats 
between  these  rivers  flowing  into  the  lake.  It  was  only 
from  four  to  six  inches  wide  and  worn  to  about  the  same 
distance  below  the  level  of  the  surface.  It  was  much 
worse  than  walking  on  a  railway  line,  as  the  path  was 
waggling  and  one  had  to  lift  one's  feet  so  high.     Walk 


AFRICAN   RIVERS   AND    SWAMPS  107 

one  ever  so  wisely,  every  few  steps  one  would  kick  one's 
own  ankles  and  stumble  against  the  side  of  the  path. 
Yet  was  the  path  preferable  to  the  country  on  either 
side,  which  was  all  hummocks,  tufts,  and  sun  cracks. 

The  native  idea  of  fishing  is  very  comical  to  one 
accustomed  to  the  fly  and  wary  fish.  The  possibility 
of  the  fish  being  frightened  away  never  seems  to  occur 
to  him.  He  does  not  walk  up  the  stream  and  find  some 
quiet,  secluded  nook  in  which  to  practise  his  art.  He 
takes  a  thick,  home-made  bit  of  cord,  fastens  to  it  a 
clumsy  great  hook,  by  means  of  a  series  of  knots  which 
form  a  lump  as  big  as  a  marble,  and  goes  down  to  the 
public  drinking  place,  the  ford,  or  the  ferry. 

He  then  hooks  on  a  bit  of  meat  or  pulse,  throws  it 
into  the  river,  and  sits  down  to  await  results,  as  likely 
as  not  holding  the  line  with  his  toes.  That  four  or 
five  men  are  splashing  and  bathing  in  the  same  spot,  a 
constant  stream  of  women  washing  and  filling  their 
water  pots,  a  crowd  of  people  shouting  and  talking, 
and  canoes  passing  backwards  and  forwards,  only  adds 
to  the  cheerfulness  of  the  scene.  It  does  not,  in  his 
opinion,  militate  against  his  chances  of  success. 

Perhaps  he  is  right;  he  manages  occasionally  to  catch 
fish,  and  possibly  this  is  how  the  fish  like  their  bait 
offered.  These  fish  are  so  wonderfully  unsophisticated 
in  some  ways  and  yet  very  shy  in  others;  perhaps  they 
are  used  to  the  noise  and  the  splashing  and  shouting  at 
the  fords.     I  know  that  in  the  secluded  nooks  I  have 


io8     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

often  found  them  very  shy  and  ready  to  dart  off  at  once 
if  one's  shadow  falls  on  the  water.  Here,  probably,  they 
are  on  the  lookout  for  crocodiles  and  other  enemies. 

In  the  ford  when  one  is  wading  across  with  a  large 
party  of  porters,  they  are  sometimes  so  little  alarmed 
that  they  come  and  nibble  at  one's  toes.  I  remember 
once  on  the  Tana  River,  when  wading  in  with  a  mob  of 
shouting  porters  to  pull  out  a  hippo,  everybody  was 
dancing  as  the  fish  were  tickling  their  toes. 

The  only  place  where  I  have  seen  anything  like  scien- 
tific fishing  is  on  the  Victoria  Nile.  There  the  natives 
cut  long,  tapering  rods,  almost  like  fly  rods,  and  fish 
with  very  fine  lines.  They  bait  with  grasshoppers 
and  throw  the  insect  out  almost  like  a  fly,  and  then 
keep  it  moving  in  the  water  to  make  it  look  as  if  the 
animal  was  kicking.  I  have  watched  them  fishing 
like  this  at  Fajao,  just  below  the  magnificent  Murchin- 
son  Falls.  Even  with  this  display  of  science,  they  do 
not  appear  to  be  very  successful  and  perhaps  only 
catch  three  or  four  half-pounders  during  an  afternoon's 
fishing. 

Just  below  the  ferry  at  Fajao  there  used  to  be,  and 
perhaps  is  still,  a  most  remarkable  number  of  crocodiles. 
There  was  one  little  bay  where  they  used  to  lie  out  on 
the  bank  in  hundreds,  closely  packed  together.  If  one 
suddenly  came  round  the  corner,  one's  first  impression 
was  that  the  whole  bank  was  slipping  down  into  the 
river.      This  effect  was  caused  by  a  living  mass  of 


AFRICAN  RIVERS  AND   SWAMPS  109 

perhaps  several  hundred  disturbed  crocodiles,  hurrying 
back  into  the  water. 

Of  other  methods  of  native  fishing,  the  most  usual 
are  netting  and  spearing.  The  Dinkas  are  very  good 
at  spearing.  A  canoe  is  paddled  silently  round  the 
creeks  and  corners  of  the  sudd,  the  paddler  sitting  at 
the  stern,  whilst  in  the  bow  the  spearer  kneels  motion- 
less with  weapon  poised.  Directly  he  sees  a  ripple  on 
the  water,  indicative  of  a  fish  being  suddenly  disturbed, 
he  hurls  the  spear.  The  haft  is  fastened  to  the  bow  by 
a  bit  of  rope,  so  that  it  can  be  recovered  after  each 
throw.  Of  course  he  does  not  hit  his  fish  every  time 
or  nearly  every  time. 

The  basket-work  kind  of  lobster  pot  is  very  common 
in  Africa.  It  resembles  an  enormous  safety  ink-pot 
made  of  wicker.  This  is  placed  in  running  water  in  a 
narrow  chaimel,  and  the  rest  of  the  channel  is  blocked 
with  stakes  or  hurdle  work.  The  fish  follow  up  the 
obstruction  to  find  a  way  through,  meet  the  aperture 
of  the  lobster  pot,  swim  in  and  cannot  find  the  way 
out  again. 

Sometimes  an  arm  of  the  river  is  staked  across  during 
the  rains.  When  the  dry  weather  comes,  the  water 
dries  up  or  recedes  and  the  fish  are  unable  to  get  out. 
The  throw  net  is  used  on  the  Nile  about  Khartoum 
but  not  by  any  of  the  more  savage  tribes.  It  was  prob- 
ably introduced  by  the  Arabs  and  requires  considerable 
dexterity  to  use  well.     It  consists  of  a  square,  flat  net 


no     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

surrounded  by  weights  and  with  a  bag  or  pocket  in  the 
middle.  The  skilful  thrower  gathers  it  together  and 
throws  it  so  that  it  spreads  out  flat  in  the  air  and  de- 
scends over  a  shoal  of  fish.  The  weights  hold  the  edge 
of  the  net  to  the  ground,  and  the  net  is  then  drawn  in 
with  a  cord  and  the  fish  who  have  failed  to  swim  under 
the  edges  are  found  in  the  pocket. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CONTRASTS   AND   CHANGES 

One  of  the  features  of  African  travel,  which  has  a 
fascination  of  its  own,  is  the  extremes  which  one 
suffers,  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  exhilaration  and  de- 
spondency, comfort  and  misery.  If  it  were  not  for  the 
times  of  hunger,  thirst,  weariness,  and  discomfort,  one 
would  never  appreciate  to  their  full  extent  the  more 
favorable  periods. 

I  once  read  of  a  traveller  trekking  across  the  swelter- 
ing plains  of  Mexico  and  meeting  with  a  clear,  cold 
stream  fed  by  Orisava's  snows.  Often  while  trekking 
in  sultry  climes,  I  have  wished  that  nature  would  be 
more  generous  in  this  provision  of  iced  drinks  for  tropi- 
cal regions,  and  have  longed  to  experience  the  same 
sensation.  Then  one  day  I  met  with  the  same  phe- 
nomenon. Whilst  trekking  across  the  open,  glaring 
plains  south  of  Embu,  I  met  with  a  clear  torrent  from 
Mount  Kenya,  so  cold  that  it  was  almost  painful  to 
drink. 

Perhaps  the  best  natural  drink  I  have  had  before 
that  was  on  one  hot,  scorching  day  when  meeting  with 
a  cold  stream  from  the  Muchinga  Mountains  in  North 
Eastern  Rhodesia. 


112     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

Once,  whilst  escorting  a  convoy  of  baggage  camels 
up  the  Sheikh  Pass  in  Somaliland,  I  had  to  return  again 
and  bring  up  those  that  had  given  out  on  the  way  up. 
It  was  a  very  hot  day,  and  as  I  nearly  reached  the  sum- 
mit for  the  second  time,  I  espied  a  little  karia  perched 
on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  so  vertically  under  a  steep 
wall  of  rock  that  the  sun  had  not  yet  touched  it,  al- 
though it  was  mid-day.  I  sent  down  to  it,  and  a  vessel 
of  beautiful  cold  milk  was  brought  up  to  me. 

It  is  very  pleasant,  after  a  sojourn  in  an  arid, 
parched,  low  country,  to  climb  the  hills  and  experience 
the  cool  mountain  breezes.  After  hunting  in  a  tem- 
perature of  104°  in  the  Loangwa  Valley,  nothing  can 
describe  the  exhilaration  felt,  after  performing  the  long 
climb,  to  find  oneself  on  the  top  of  a  range  like  the 
Muchinga.  The  sun  is  indeed  hot  at  these  altitudes, 
but  there  are  shady  trees  under  which  to  rest,  and  be 
refreshed  by  the  cool  breezes. 

Sometimes  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  too 
marked  to  be  pleasant.  When  elephant  hunting  in 
Uganda,  one  faces  daily  a  cold  shower-bath,  while  push- 
ing through  the  long  grass  dripping  with  dew  before 
the  sun  rises.  A  little  later  the  sun  is  up  and  one  is 
scorched  and  dry. 

Often  in  the  Lado,  I  have  been  wearily  dragging  my- 
self along,  wet  through  with  perspiration,  after  a  breath- 
less day,  with  gyes  aching  from  the  glare,  when  one  of 
those  thunderstorms  which  roll  up  so  quickly  have 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  113 

suddenly  broken.  They  are  preluded  by  a  violent 
hurricane  and  accompanied  by  a  terrific  downpour,  and 
in  a  moment  one  is  wet  through  and  shivering  with 
cold. 

The  change  from  dejection  to  pleasure  when  one 
suddenly  sees  one's  camp  fire,  whilst  stumbling  along 
in  the  dark,  is  worth  undergoing  much  discomfort  to 
experience.  One  moment  one  expects  to  have  to  lie 
do^vn  wet  and  hungry  in  the  bush,  and  the  next,  one 
knows  that  food,  a  hot  bath,  and  a  comfortable  chair 
are  close  at  hand. 

Whilst  travelling  down  the  Nile,  I  proceeded  in  my 
invaluable  canoe  one  day,  leaving  my  porters  to  come 
by  land.  As  the  natives,  at  the  village  from  which  we 
started,  were  not  on  friendly  terms  with  those  of  the 
next,  we  could  get  no  information  about  the  country 
ahead  or  the  winding  channels  in  the  sudd.  We  started 
gayly  in  our  canoe  and  the  channel  soon  took  us  out 
into  the  centre  of  the  papyrus  swamps,  some  miles 
from  the  shore  on  either  side.  We  travelled  down  and 
down  but  could  not  get  into  the  shore. 

At  last  we  espied  a  hippo  run  or  path  through  the 
sudd,  which  we  thought  feasible,  and  with  immense 
labour  pushed  and  propelled  our  craft  through  the 
obstructing  reeds  till  we  came  out  on  a  lagoon  in  the 
swamp.  We  crossed  this  and  saw  the  rising  bank  of 
the  shore  not  more  than  a  few  hundred  yards  from  us; 
but  between  us   and  it  was  a  dense   mass   of  reeds 


114     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

through  which  we  could  find  no  way.  By  dint  of  hack- 
ing at  the  reeds  and  pulling  and  pushing,  we  at  last 
managed  to  get  in  to  the  shore  after  a  couple  of  hours' 
hard  work. 

The  two  Bagandas  in  the  canoe  had  their  food,  cook- 
ing pots,  and  blankets,  but  I  had  none  of  the  creature 
comforts  which  are  necessary  to  a  white  man  in  a  tropi- 
cal country,  so  I  left  them  in  charge  of  the  canoe  and 
set  off  to  look  for  my  camp. 

I  reckoned  that  we  must  have  come  a  good  deal 
farther  than  the  porters,  and  so  my  search  must  be 
conducted  up-stream.  After  a  few  minutes  I  came  on 
a  path  which  led  me  to  a  village.  I  could  get  no  infor- 
mation here  about  my  camp  and  so  took  a  path  leading 
southwards. 

It  was  now  well  on  in  the  afternoon,  and  about  two 
hours'  walking  brought  me  to  one  of  those  very  un- 
pleasant swamps  which  abound  beside  the  Nile  in  this 
part,  and  are  especially  bad  in  the  rains.  This  one  was 
half  a  mile  or  so  across,  and  like  most  of  them  consisted 
of  thick  reeds  and  papyrus  through  which  wriggled  a 
narrow  path,  sometimes  only  ankle  deep  in  mud,  but 
generally  with  a  foot  or  so  of  water  over  the  mud. 

These  "paths"  consist  of  a  number  of  uneven  holes 
made  by  the  feet  of  elephants.  It  is  impossible  to  see 
one's  foothold,  owing  to  mud  and  water.  At  one  mo- 
ment one  sinks  into  a  deep  hole  and  the  next  one  strikes 
a  mound  under  water.     Worse  still  is  it  when  one  treads 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  115 

just  on  the  edge  of  one  of  these  deep  elephant  foot- 
prints and  sHdes  suddenly  to  the  bottom,  clutching 
wildly  at  the  reeds  on  either  side.  On  recovering  one's 
balance  one's  hands  are  covered  with  a  downlike  growth 
of  hundreds  of  minute  little  hairs,  which  have  come  off 
the  stem  of  the  reeds  and  enter  the  pores  of  the  skin 
sufficiently  to  cause  irritation,  especially  when  any- 
thing is  handled.  To  remove  these,  a  pair  of  tweezers 
and  a  few  hours  to  spare  are  necessary. 

Progress  is  slow  in  these  swamps,  and  as  I  reached 
the  centre  and  saw  the  sun  set,  my  position  was  not  of 
the  pleasantest.  I  was  two  hours  and  a  half  from  the 
last  village,  wet,  tired,  hungry,  and  alone,  up  to  my 
knees  in  evil-smelling  mud,  and  without  the  faintest 
conception  of  where  my  camp  was. 

I  struggled  on  till  I  had  nearly  reached  the  opposite 
side,  which  consisted  of  a  sharply  rising  bluff,  perhaps 
fifty  feet  in  height,  but  here  I  met  another  obstacle, 
and  that  was  the  current  of  the  stream  which  caused 
the  swamp.  There  was  a  fast  swirl  of  muddy  water 
about  ten  yards  across,  and  then  the  reeds  again,  and 
just  beyond  that,  the  hard,  firm  bank. 

Holding  my  rifle  over  my  head,  I  plunged  through, 
half-swimming,  half-floundering  at  the  bottom,  caught 
some  papyrus  the  other  side,  and  was  soon  out  of  the 
swamp  on  dry  ground.  At  this  moment,  I  heard  the 
sound  of  an  axe  just  above  me,  and  as  I  reached  the 
top,  I  saw  the  comforting  sight  of  my  green  tent  and  the 


ii6     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

porters'  small  white  ones  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  and 
my  cook  crouching  over  the  fire,  busy  with  his  cooking 
pots. 

A  most  unpleasant  disappointment,  which  I  have 
twice  met  with,  is  to  see  an  elephant  standing  broad- 
side on,  showing  a  nice  sized  tusk.  One  shoots  and  he 
falls  over  in  the  thick  grass.  One  runs  up  to  see  what 
his  tusks  are  really  like  at  close  quarters  and  to  measure 
them,  when,  to  one's  bewilderment  and  dismay,  one 
finds  no  tusks. 

This  is  the  first  sensation,  but  in  another  moment 
one  realises  what  it  is.  He  is  a  one- tusker  and  as  he  first 
stood  presenting  his  one  tusk,  one  naturally  concluded 
that  the  other  is  like  it.  When  he  falls,  he  falls  on 
his  one  tusk,  concealing  it  from  view,  whilst  his  tuskless 
side  remains  upwards. 

I  experienced  an  even  more  unpleasant  surprise 
whilst  shooting  in  Nyasaland.  It  was  at  the  beginning 
of  a  new  license,  and  so  I  had  a  whole  year  before  me 
in  which  to  get  my  two  elephants.  I  left  the  station  of 
Fort  Manning  and  camped  at  a  village  twenty-five  or 
thirty  miles  distant.  The  same  night,  elephants  came 
into  the  plantations,  to  eat  the  maize,  and  I  got  up  quite 
close  to  one.  I  could  see  his  tusks  shining  white,  but 
it  was  quite  impossible  to  judge  their  size  in  the  dark, 
and  equally  impossible  to  see  by  the  starlight  well 
enough  to  select  a  vital  shot,  so  I  returned  to  my  tent. 

Next  morning  I  went  out  into  the  fields  and  found  two 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  117 

elephants  on  the  extreme  edge  of  the  plantations,  who 
had  dallied  behind  for  a  last  munch  of  the  maize.  They 
both  had  nice  tusks,  about  fifty  pounds,  which  in  those 
days  and  in  that  locality,  I  considered  very  fair.  As 
they  stood  pulling  up  the  stalks  by  the  roots,  I  fired 
twice,  killing  one  and  wounding  the  second. 

I  stopped  a  moment  to  make  sure  of  the  one  on  the 
ground,  and  then  hurried  after  the  wounded  one. 
Neither  my  trackers  nor  myself  had  any  doubts  that 
we  were  on  the  right  track,  but  it  appeared  afterwards 
that  we  had  got  on  the  wrong  spoor.  It  led  us  into 
thick  grass,  it  was  quite  fresh  and  a  large  footprint. 
We  hurried  on  for  about  half  an  hour  and  there  he  was 
right  enough,  for  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  massive 
stern  mo\TQg  through  the  grass  in  front. 

We  followed  him,  just  keeping  up  with  his  leisurely 
stroll,  which  forced  us  to  run  at  intervals  not  to  lose 
ground.  The  track  wound  about  in  the  grass  and 
several  times,  when  we  got  into  a  straighter  bit,  we 
caught  another  glimpse  of  the  enormous  hindquarters, 
but  nothing  more  could  be  seen  because  of  the  dense- 
ness  of  the  grass  and  the  fact  that  he  was  walking 
away  from  us. 

Suddenly,  wdthout  any  warning,  he  whipped  round 
and  with  a  loud  trumpet  galloped  down  on  us  with  trunk 
raised  above  his  head.  Perhaps  he  was  thirty  yards  dis- 
tant when  he  turned.  I  seemed  only  just  to  have  time  to 
get  my  rifle  to  the  shoulder  and  the  safety  catch  turned 


ii8     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

over  when  he  was  ten  yards  off.  In  this  thick  grass,  it 
is  only  possible  to  proceed  on  the  path  broken  down 
by  elephant  or  rhino,  and  so  I  stood  my  ground,  not 
from  any  mistaken  sense  of  bravery,  but  because  it  was 
impossible  to  do  otherwise. 

The  elephant,  having  his  trunk  raised  high,  was  ex- 
posing his  chest,  and  so  I  fired  with  my  mannlicher  into 
its  centre.  He  swerved  at  the  shot,  crashed  into  the 
grass,  and  fell  on  his  fore  knees  a  few  yards  to  my  right, 
whilst  I  pumped  two  or  three  shots  into  his  shoulder 
to  make  certain  that  he  did  not  rise  again. 

It  had  all  happened  so  quickly  and  I  had  been  so 
intent  on  the  heart  shot,  that  no  thought  of  the  tusks 
ever  crossed  my  mind;  if  it  did,  had  I  not  seen  just  be- 
fore that  they  were  a  nice  pair  ?  It  was  only  when  I 
heard  a  wail  from  Matola,  my  orderly,  standing  behind 
me,  of  "Oh  !  Oh  !  a  nyungwa, "  that  I  realised  what 
had  happened.  I  had  shot  a  nyungwa,  or  tuskless 
bull,  and,  moreover,  this  was  the  second  and  last  on  my 
license  so  there  was  no  more  elephant  shooting  for  me 
for  a  year  in  that  protectorate. 

While  elephant  hunting  in  the  Lado  in  1908,  I 
climbed  the  high  Madi  escarpment  and  came  out  on  to 
the  plateau  above.  The  cool  mountain  air  would  have 
been  only  too  delightful,  after  the  mosquito-infested 
Nile  bank,  if  it  were  not  that  halfway  up  the  ascent,  a 
bad  attack  of  fever  came  on.  I  struggled  to  the  top 
and  then  lay  down  under  a   tree  till  my  tent  was 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  119 

pitched.  After  several  days  of  ague,  high  fever,  and 
semi-deliriousness,  I  was  so  weak  that  I  could  not  stand 
without  support. 

The  country  had  then  a  very  bad  reputation.  After 
the  Belgians  had  given  up  Dufile,  several  porters  sent 
through  to  Loka  by  this  way  had  been  murdered,  and  so 
the  country  since  then  had  been  given  a  wide  berth. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  villages  left  no  doubt  about  their 
hostile  intentions,  as  they  turned  out  with  muskets 
and  spears  and  threatened  to  shoot  my  porters  if  they 
came  near  them.  We  were  badly  in  need  of  food  for 
the  men,  and  I  did  not  know  what  to  do,  as  I  was 
unable  to  move.  We  had  no  weapons  except  my  own 
two  rifles. 

My  Swahili  cook  Husseni,  a  stout  fellow,  took  my 
rifle  and  went  to  the  nearest  village  and  after  a  palaver 
managed  to  induce  the  chief  and  one  or  two  men  to  come 
back  to  camp  and  brought  them  into  my  tent.  I  rated 
them  soundly  for  their  inhospitality  to  strangers  and 
taking  advantage  of  me  being  sick  in  this  way.  I  told 
them  that  they  would  not  dare  to  have  behaved  like 
this  if  I  was  well,  and  that  I  was  friendly  with  both 
the  Congo  and  the  Uganda  governments,  so  if  anything 
happened  to  us  they  would  be  sure  to  hear  of  it  from  one 
or  the  other.  Husseni  then  displayed  our  wares  and 
told  them  that  these  would  be  theirs  if  food  was 
produced. 

This  had  the  effect  of  making  them  produce  a  limited 


I20     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

supply  of  flour.  A  day  or  two  afterwards,  I  was  able  to 
sit  at  the  door  of  my  tent  and  enjoy  the  cool  air  and 
beautiful  scenery  of  the  mountains.  The  country,  just 
at  that  spot,  is  the  prettiest  I  have  seen  anywhere  in 
the  Lado,  and  I  always  cherished  a  pleasant  recollec- 
tion of  it,  in  spite  of  the  rather  adverse  circumstances 
under  which  I  had  seen  it.  After  two  days'  convales- 
cence, want  of  food  compelled  us  to  move.  As  the 
country  ahead  was  reported  full  of  people,  and  devoid 
of  elephant,  I  returned  by  the  way  we  had  come. 

Two  years  later,  I  arrived  in  the  same  spot,  up  the 
same  pass,  to  take  over  this  country  for  the  Sudan  gov- 
ernment. The  same  chief  came  to  me,  and  professed 
his  affections  for  the  old  and  everlasting  adhesion  to 
the  new  government.  It  was  evident  that  he  did  not 
recognise  me,  as  I  had  had  a  large  beard  the  last  time  I 
was  there. 

I  told  him  that  I  had  heard  that  they  were  very  bad 
people  and  hostile  to  strangers,  and  that  several  people 
had  been  murdered  in  their  country.  He  protested 
volubly  saying  that  his  people  were  the  most  innocent 
and  friendly  in  the  world,  they  loved  strangers,  and 
welcomed  everybody  to  their  country.  It  must  have 
been  some  other  people  I  had  been  told  about.  It 
was  quite  true  that  some  of  the  Madi  were  bad  people 
but  his  were  exemplary. 

I  then  said,  "You  were  not  so  very  hospitable  to  me 
when  I  came  here  two  years  ago,  and  I  was  sick."     We 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  121 

had  a  good  laugh  over  it,  and  since  then  he  has  been 
most  docile,  and  given  no  trouble  to  us. 

During  my  first  visit  to  the  Lado  Enclave  in  1908,  I 
was  trekking  down  the  Nile  between  Wadelai  and  Dufile 
and  came  to  a  group  of  Madi  villages,  called  Alivejo. 
On  my  arrival,  I  noticed  that  the  people  were  sulky  and 
hostile.  No  one  rose  at  my  approach  and  no  chief 
came  to  greet  me.  The  natives  I  addressed  would  not 
reply,  but  just  sat  and  glared  at  us.  I  was  sitting  under 
a  tree  waiting  for  the  tail  end  of  my  caravan  to  come  in, 
when  some  one  said,  "There  are  two  white  men."  I 
looked  up,  and  saw  in  the  far  distance  two  figures  evi- 
dently wearing  helmets,  and  one  of  them  with  a  white 
umbrella,  whilst  behind  them  were  several  naked 
savages. 

I  did  not  take  much  interest,  thinking  that  they  were 
two  elephant  poachers  from  the  other  bank.  Suddenly 
my  cook  said,  "Why  it  is  our  white  man,"  meaning  my 
travelling  companion.  Captain  Hart,  whom  we  had  not 
seen  since  we  entered  the  enclave,  as  we  had  separated 
to  hunt  and  failed  to  meet  again.  I  picked  up  my 
glasses  and  recognised  Hart  as  the  second  figure,  and 
wondered  who  his  companion  with  the  white  umbrella 
could  be.  On  further  investigation,  he  proved  to  be  a 
native  whom  Hart  had  rewarded  with  helmet,  shirt, 
and  umbrella  for  services  rendered. 

We  had  lunch  together  under  the  tree,  and  had  much 
to  recount  to  each  other  of  our  adventures  up  to  date. 


122     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

Hart  was  camped  at  the  other  side  of  the  swamp.  He 
had  been  up  to  the  Lugware  country  and  had  more 
ivory  than  his  limited  porters  could  carry,  whilst 
for  the  same  reason  I  was  hopelessly  tied  to  the  river 
and  my  canoe. 

We  decided  that  we  must  make  a  depot  and  leave  our 
ivory  in  it,  and  this  village  seemed  a  suitable  locality, 
excepting  for  the  very  hostile  attitude  of  the  natives. 
Hart  returned  in  the  afternoon,  and  promised  to  be 
back  again  with  his  camp  next  morning,  taking  some  of 
my  porters  to  carry  his  extra  loads. 

I  then  set  to  work  to  try  and  ingratiate  myself  with 
the  natives.  I  first  sent  for  the  chief  and  he  came  very 
reluctantly,  a  tall,  sulky  man.  I  talked  to  him  for  a 
while  and  then  he  asked  in  a  very  surly  way  why  I  did 
not  give  him  presents.  I  replied  that  he  knew  per- 
fectly well  that  it  was  the  custom  for  him  to  bring  a 
present  first  to  give  the  stranger,  and  until  he  did  this, 
I  considered  that  he  was  evilly  disposed  towards  us. 

He  went  off  and  returned  later  with  a  very  meagre 
gourd  of  flour  and  said  that  they  had  no  food  here  but 
had  to  buy  it  from  the  opposite  bank.  I  then  asked 
him  if  he  had  any  objection  to  my  building  a  hut  on 
some  rising  ground  behind  his  village.  He  replied 
that  he  supposed  the  white  men  could  do  as  they 
liked.  I  said  that  if  he  was  going  to  be  unfriendly,  I 
should  certainly  do  as  I  liked.  I  had  only  asked  in 
consideration   for   him   and  his  people,  as  I  did  not 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  123 

wish  to  put  my  hut  on  a  spot  which  he  might  subse- 
quently want  to  till  and  to  cultivate. 

I  then  showed  him  the  site  I  wanted  and  asked  him 
if  he  intended  cultivating  there  or  contemplated  using 
it  for  any  other  purpose  during  the  next  few  months. 
He  grudgingly  admitted  that  he  did  not,  so  I  produced 
cahco  and  presents  and  told  him  that  this  was  in  pay- 
ment for  the  right  of  building  so  near  his  village. 

During  our  conversation,  a  great  wailing  and  lamen- 
tation arose  at  a  large  village  near  the  water's  edge.  I 
inquired  the  cause  and  was  told  that  they  had  been  out 
in  canoes  hunting  hippo,  the  meat  of  which  they  sold 
for  flour  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  that  to-day  a  hippo 
had  upset  the  canoe  of  the  chief  of  that  village  and 
killed  him. 

Early  next  morning  I  moved  my  camp  to  the  higher 
ground  behind  the  village.  The  wailing  was  still 
continuing,  so  I  asked  if  they  had  not  buried  the  chief 
yet,  to  which  they  replied  that  he  was  not  yet  dead. 
I  asked  if  I  could  see  him,  rather  a  risky  experiment, 
for  if  the  man  was  moribund  and  died  directly  after 
my  ministrations,  the  people  would  hardly  have  become 
less  hostile  to  us. 

I  was  taken  down  to  the  village  and  found  the  chief, 
supported  by  a  number  of  women,  in  the  centre  of  a 
stockaded  enclosure,  whilst  round  him  was  a  great 
crowd,  wailing  and  lamenting  for  him.  His  arm  was 
tied  up  with  a  rough  splint  made  of  reeds,  but  nothing 


124     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

soft  in  the  way  of  dressing  or  padding  had  been  used, 
as  these  people  had  no  cloth  or  clothes  of  any  kind  and 
could  devise  nothing  else.  I  undid  the  splint  and 
found  that  his  arm  was  lacerated  by  enormous  gashes 
from  the  hippo's  teeth,  the  bone  was  broken,  and  the 
lower  arm  was  only  attached  to  the  shoulder  by  two 
pieces  of  flesh.  It  was  a  ghastly  wound  and  I  had 
little  hopes  of  his  recovery. 

The  native  is  extraordinary,  however,  in  his  recupera- 
tive powers  and,  if  given  a  chance,  heals  most  rapidly. 
The  reason  most  of  their  injuries  develop  into  large, 
festering  sores  is  that  they  get  filled  with  dirt  and  are 
treated  by  being  plastered  with  mud.  The  swarms  of 
flies  that  settle  on  the  wounds  also  tend  to  make  them 
unhealthy.  I  squirted  out  the  wounds  with  strong 
antiseptic  and  dressed  and  set  the  arm  as  well  as  I 
could.  During  the  rest  of  my  stay  in  the  village,  I 
dressed  him  twice  a  day  and  gave  him  sleeping  draughts 
at  night.  When  I  left,  to  my  relief,  he  was  not  yet 
dead;  on  the  contrary,  he  appeared  much  better. 

After  attending  to  the  chief,  I  was  asked  to  look  at 
another  wounded  man.  I  found  a  sulky  looking 
person,  sitting  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  zariba  nurs- 
ing a  great  gash  in  his  thigh.  I  dressed  this  likewise, 
asking  how  it  happened,  and  was  told  that  he  had  done 
it  himself  with  an  arrow,  owing  to  his  bitterness  about 
the  accident  that  had  happened  to  his  brother.  He 
was  suffering,  however,  I  believe,  more  from  jealousy 


CONTRASTS  AND   CHANGES  125 

than  bitterness  when  I  saw  him,  as  his  brother  was 
surrounded  by  a  sympathising  crowd,  whilst  he  was  left 
to  sulk  alone. 

Presently  Hart  turned  up,  and  we  set  to  work  build- 
ing a  hut  surrounded  by  a  strong  stockade.  From  this 
time  onwards,  the  people  seemed  much  more  friendly, 
and  even  the  sulky  chief  paid  us  visits  frequently. 

When  the  stockade  and  hut  were  finished,  we  buried 
the  ivory  and  left  our  spare  trade  goods  in  the  hut. 
We  had  a  very  goodly  stock  of  these;  in  fact,  small 
things  like  salt  went  such  a  long  way  that  our 
expenditure  was  very  much  less  than  we  anticipated. 
However,  in  food  stores  we  had  skimped  ourselves, 
and  now  we  had  practically  nothing  left. 

Hart  good  naturedly  undertook  the  dull  and  unin- 
teresting task  of  trekking  down  to  Nimule  and  la3dng 
in  a  fresh  stock,  whilst  I  went  up  into  the  Lugware 
country,  where  he  was  to  meet  me  later.  We  left  a 
SwahiH,  whom  we  had  picked  up  at  Koba,  in  charge  of 
the  depot,  giving  him  a  rifle  and  several  of  the  porters 
to  keep  him  company. 

Having  made  all  our  arrangements,  we  trekked  off. 
It  was  a  Httle  over  two  months  before  I  again  visited 
our  base  camp.  I  arrived  by  canoe,  and  as  I  drew  near, 
I  saw  a  little  crowd  of  natives  at  the  landing  stage,  one 
of  them  waving  his  arm  at  us  in  a  peculiar  way.  I  did 
not  know  whether  it  was  intended  to  be  menacing  or 
friendly.     As  we  approached,  he  became  more  violent. 


126    HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

performing  all  kinds  of  evolutions  with  his  arm,  but 
in  what  appeared  to  be  a  very  stiff  and  awkward  way. 

It  was  only  as  we  drew  in  to  the  bank  that  I  recog- 
nised who  it  was;  it  was  the  moribund  chief  with  his 
arm  completely  healed  up.  Although  it  was  stiff  and 
bent,  owing  to  my  very  primitive  setting,  he  could 
move  it  about  and  swing  it  round  his  head  and  wave 
it  in  the  air,  and  it  was  his  facility  in  this  respect  that 
he  was  demonstrating  with  great  pride. 

He  appeared  really  pleased  to  see  me,  and  said  frankly 
that  he  would  not  now  be  alive  if  it  had  not  been  for 
me.  He  told  us  that  all  was  well  with  our  belongings, 
and  an  immense  crowd  escorted  me  up  to  the  zariba, 
from  which  the  Swahili  presently  came  to  greet  me. 
Very  different  was  it  to  my  first  arrival  in  this  village. 

I  hoped  that  a  sense  of  obligation  at  his  recovery 
would  show  some  tangible  form  in  the  way  of  a  pres- 
entation of  a  sheep  or  even  a  chicken,  but  the  depth 
of  his  gratitude  never  extended  so  far.  However, 
just  at  this  camp  we  were  not  so  hard  pressed  for  want 
of  meat  as  elsewhere,  as  it  was  one  of  the  few  places 
we  struck  in  which  game  was  in  any  way  plentiful. 
There  was  a  large  herd  of  kob  which  seemed  never  to 
leave  the  neighbourhood,  and  one  could  generally  secure 
a  waterbuck  in  the  early  morning.  It  was  largely  this 
that  had  influenced  us  in  choosing  it  as  a  depot,  as 
the  meat  of  waterbuck  could  be  exchanged  on  the 
opposite  bank  for  flour  for  the  porters. 


CHAPTER   IX 

ABOUT  LION 

The  first  time  that  I  had  anything  to  do  with  a  Hon 
in  its  wild  state  was  in  SomaHland  in  1899,  when  I  came 
on  the  spoor  of  a  male  and  female.  There  is  something 
very  thrilling  in  this  first  contact  with  an  animal 
one  has  been  taught  to  hold  in  awe  and  respect  from 
childhood. 

The  Somalis  say  that  a  lion  makes  you  jump  three 
times.  The  first  is  when  you  suddenly  hear  him  roar, 
whether  at  night  or  in  the  daytime;  but  more  particu- 
larly in  the  dark  he  gives  you  a  start.  The  second  is 
when  walking  along  you  meet  his  spoor.  You  may  be 
looking  for  it,  but  it  always  comes  as  a  slight  shock 
when  you  find  it.  The  third  and  last  is  the  time  when 
you  first  sight  him.  They  say  that  even  a  bold  man  is 
thus  frightened  three  times  by  a  lion,  but  after  the  sud- 
den shock  of  seeing  him  is  over,  he  is  no  longer  afraid. 

The  first  time  I  ever  set  eyes  on  a  lion,  I  did  not  ex- 
perience this  sensation,  because  I  did  not  know  what  it 
was.  He  suddenly  got  up  in  thick  grass  and  went  o£f 
grunting.  I  had  a  momentary  glimpse  of  something  red, 
and  thought  that  it  was  a  bush  pig.  I  fairly  kicked 
myself  when  I  reaHsed  too  late  what  I  had  missed. 

127 


128     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

In  Nyasaland  there  are  periodical  epidemics  of  man- 
eating  during  the  rainy  season.  The  grass  is  long 
then,  and  the  lion,  finding  it  difiicult  to  approach  game 
unheard,  make  raids  on  the  villages  when  impelled  by 
hunger.  They  are  often  very  bold  in  their  attacks  on 
villages,  and  yet  very  wary  in  the  way  they  avoid 
being  killed  by  the  European  sportsman.  The  country 
is  so  thick  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  find  them  in 
the  daytime,  whilst,  however  hard  one  tries  to  forestall 
them  at  night,  they  generally  manage  to  evade  one  by 
visiting  some  other  village  to  that  in  which  one  has 
stationed  oneself. 

The  most  certain  way  to  get  them  would  be  to  obtain 
immediate  news  of  any  cattle  or  natives  killed,  and  to 
track  them  up  whilst  still  on  the  body.  In  this,  how- 
ever, the  possible  victims  themselves  are  the  greatest 
obstacles  to  success.  So  superstitious  are  the  natives 
about  the  lion,  that  seldom  is  it  possible  to  get  khabar 
until  too  late.  The  news  is  almost  invariably  held  over 
for  a  day  or  two,  on  some  excuse  or  other,  so  as  to  give 
the  lion  a  chance.  No  native  wants  you  to  hunt  a  lion 
on  the  information  he  gives.  In  the  back  of  his  mind 
he  has  a  fear  that  the  lion  would  get  to  know  who  had 
given  him  away,  and  revenge  himself  in  some  manner. 
In  East  Africa  it  is  quite  different;  the  natives  are  ready 
and  willing  to  bring  in  news  and  lion  are,  moreover, 
much  easier  to  find. 

The  lion  generally  chooses  an  absolutely  black  night 


ABOUT  LION  129 


for  a  raid  on  a  village.  As  I  have  said,  it  is  almost 
always  during  the  rains  that  he  takes  to  man  eating, 
when  the  sky  is  generally  cloudy,  and  the  nights  dark. 
I  have  several  times  been  in  a  village  when  a  lion  has 
passed  quite  close,  no  doubt  reconnoitring,  and  on 
one  occasion  when  a  hut  was  broken  open,  but  it  was 
invariably  too  dark  to  see  or  get  a  shot.  The  latter 
incident  I  have  described  in  "The  Game  of  East 
Africa." 

In  1904  I  was  in  Fort  Manning  in  Nyasaland.  We 
twice  heard  a  lion  roaring  near,  and  he  passed  fairly 
close  to  the  station.  There  was  great  excitement  and 
we  turned  out  with  rifles,  but  could  not  see  him  as  it 
was  dark.  I  thought  afterwards  that  these  were  rec- 
onnoitring \dsits  to  learn  the  lay  of  the  land.  Some 
ten  days  after  the  last  of  these  visits,  I  was  having  my 
bath,  when  suddenly  I  heard  a  great  commotion  in  the 
fort,  the  sound  of  many  voices,  and  the  blowing  of 
bugles.  My  house  was  about  a  couple  of  hundred  yards 
away,  so  hastily  donning  some  clothes  and  snatching  up 
a  rifle,  I  ran  down  to  the  fort  with  Mr.  D.  D.  Lyell  who 
was  stopping  with  me.  All  sorts  of  ideas  flitted 
through  my  head  as  I  ran.  An  attack,  a  mutiny,  a 
fire,  what  could  it  be  ? 

When  we  arrived,  there  was  such  an  excited  babble  of 
talk,  that  one  could  not  discover  for  some  time  what  it 
was.  I  dragged  a  sergeant  aside  and  asked  him  what 
had  happened,  and  he  said  there  was  a  lion,  pointing 


I30     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

to  the  gate  of  the  fort.  I  had  come  in  by  a  small  gate 
at  the  back  and  I  now  noticed  that  the  main  gate  had 
been  shut.  I  had  never  seen  it  shut  before.  I  asked 
where  the  lion  was  and  several  people  pointed  at  the 
gate,  so  I  said,  "  Open  it,  then,  and  let  us  have  a  look  at 
him."  The  gate  was  opened  and  of  course  there  was 
no  lion.  Lyell  and  I  ran  out,  but  we  saw  nothing,  so 
then  I  started  to  find  the  originator  of  the  story. 

Presently,  the  hospital  assistant  appeared  and  said 
that  he  was  responsible  for  the  story.  He  would  not 
like  to  say  whether  it  was  a  lion  or  not,  but  some  great 
beast  had  sprung  at  him  twice,  as  he  had  been  walking 
down  to  the  stream.  He  had  shouted  and  run  for  the 
fort,  the  guard  had  then  called  out  and  blown  the 
bugle,  and  that  was  all  he  knew. 

He  took  us  to  the  spot  and  there,  true  enough,  was  the 
spoor  of  the  lion  and  the  marks  of  his  spring,  as  he  had 
torn  up  the  turf,  evidently  having  his  claws  out  ready 
for  action.  I  believe  the  fact  that  the  hospital  assist- 
ant was  wearing  boots  saved  his  life,  as  when  he  turned 
to  run  it  must  have  been  the  unwonted  sound  which 
made  the  lion,  accustomed  to  bare  feet,  stop  to  consider, 
else  why  should  he  have  paused  ?  The  man  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  yards  from  the  fort, 
and  easy  to  catch  in  a  bound  or  two.  He  must  have 
paused  a  second  at  the  sound  of  the  boots,  and  the 
next  moment  he  heard  the  guard  shouting,  and  then 
finally  went  off. 


ABOUT  LION  131 


We  followed  the  spoor  with  a  lamp  as  far  as  we  could 
that  night,  a  pure  waste  of  time,  but  we  were  very  keen 
in  those  days.  Next  day  we  spent  in  tracking  him, 
and  learnt  that  he  had  followed  in  the  tracks  of  the 
cattle  and  was  making  his  way  over  to  the  zariba,  when 
he  met  the  hospital  assistant. 

We  had  the  cattle  driven  out  the  same  way  that  day 
and  on  their  return  tied  up  one  and  sat  over  him,  but 
without  result.  The  lion  came  back  all  right,  but  this 
time  he  inspected  our  garden,  and  walked  over  the 
vegetable  beds.  We  sat  up  then  in  the  garden,  but 
he  was  too  cunning  for  us,  for  he  visited  another  part 
of  the  station.  Altogether  he  came  three  nights  run- 
ning, but  we  never  got  a  glimpse  of  him,  nor  were 
we  able  to  follow  him  up  to  his  lying-up  place  by 
day. 

The  same  year  I  was  hunting  in  North  Eastern 
Rhodesia.  Whilst  camped  one  dark  night  on  a  steep 
bank  above  the  Loangwa  River,  I  woke  up  with  a  start 
to  hear  lion  roaring  close  by.  I  hurriedly  groped  about 
in  the  dark  for  the  matches,  but  before  I  could  find  them, 
I  heard  a  scratching  noise  at  the  flies  of  the  tent.  I 
seized  my  rifle,  which  was  beside  me,  and  pointing  at  the 
sound  called  out,  "Who  is  that  ?  "  There  was  no  reply, 
but  the  scratching  sound  continued.  I  called  out  again, 
but  there  was  stifl  no  answer,  so  I  decided  to  shoot. 
At  the  last  moment,  I  thought  perhaps  it  was  only  a 
hyaena,  and  how  fooHsh  I  would  look  shooting  at  one 


132     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

when  there  were  lion  about.  Anyhow,  I  decided  to 
wait  a  little  longer. 

The  creature,  whatever  it  was,  began  crawling 
under  the  flies,  and  this  time  I  really  was  going 
to  shoot,  when  I  heard  the  voice  of  one  of  my  boys 
call  out,  "Mkango  bwana,  Mkango"  (a  lion,  master, 
a  lion). 

What  induced  the  boy  to  come  under  the  flies  instead 
of  in  at  the  door,  and  why  he  did  not  answer,  I  cannot 
make  out,  unless  it  was  fear  of  attracting  the  attention 
of  a  lion  possibly  behind  him.  Anyhow,  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  how  thankful  I  was  that  I  had  paused  before 
firing. 

I  went  out  of  the  tent  and  we  waited  in  silence  for 
some  time,  and  then  we  heard  them  go  down  to  drink 
from  the  river  close  below  the  camp.  After  drinking 
they  stood  there.  It  was  a  party  of  three,  and  they 
uttered  roar  after  roar,  which  sounded  really  magnifi- 
cent, echoing  backwards  and  forwards  between  the 
steep  banks  of  the  river.  However,  they  were  rather 
too  close  to  be  pleasant,  and  we  were  very  thankful 
when  we  heard  them  climbing  the  bank  and  going  off 
to  a  safer  distance.  They  hunted  for  some  time  in  the 
vicinity,  and  then  we  heard  their  roars  die  away  in  the 
distance. 

A  few  days  later,  I  heard  a  lion  roaring  continuously 
at  8  A.M.  I  have  noticed  several  times  the  bush  lion 
roaring  at  this  time  and  even  at  9  o'clock,  but  do  not 


Gamra  Oasis.     Borana  Country 

The  stockade  in  the  centre  of  the  pool  was  erected  by  Abyssinian  hunters  for  pro- 
tection whilst  awaiting  lion,  buffalo,  and  other  game  coming  to  drink  at  night. 


The  White  Rhino 
Showing  the  square  Hp  which  distinguishes  this  species  from  the  black. 


ABOUT  LION  133 


ever  remember  hearing  the  plain  Hon  so  late,  although  I 
have  often  heard  him  well  after  sunrise. 

At  a  village  near  Fort  Mangoche,  also  in  Nyasaland, 
a  man  was  sitting  one  night  at  the  door  of  his  hut  drum- 
ming, whilst  his  wife  was  cooking  food  inside.  The 
hut  was  an  isolated  one,  being  several  hundred  yards 
from  the  rest  of  the  village. 

Suddenly  the  woman  heard  the  man  call  out,  "a  lion 
has  got  me."  She  took  a  burning  fagot  from  the  fire, 
ran  out,  and  smacked  the  lion  in  the  face.  The  aston- 
ished animal  let  go,  and  she  dragged  her  husband  into 
the  hut  and  hastily  put  up  the  poles  which  form  the 
door.  The  man  died  a  few  minutes  after,  and  the 
woman  sat  there  with  the  dead  body. 

Presently  the  lion  returned  and  scratched  gently  on 
the  door.  This  he  repeated  several  times  till  it  got  on 
the  woman's  nerves.  At  last  she  could  stand  it  no 
longer,  so  she  took  another  fagot  from  the  fire,  unbarred 
the  door,  and  fled  to  the  village,  leaving  the  dead  man. 
The  lion  then  walked  into  the  hut  and  took  him. 

These  native  doorways  consist  of  a  couple  of  stout 
stakes  sunk  into  the  earth  on  either  side,  and  between 
these  a  number  of  poles  are  slid  to  close  the  door.  It 
forms  a  strong  barricade,  stronger  than  the  lion  can 
break  through.  He  generally  gets  into  a  hut  by  break- 
ing a  hole  through  the  waU  or  jumping  on  the  roof  and 
burrowing  down  through  the  thatching.  Whilst  I 
was  at  Fort  Manning,  a  weU-known  man-eater  came  and 


134     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

scratched  at  one  of  these  doorways.  The  owner  of  the 
hut  seized  his  spear  and,  thrusting  it  between  the  poles, 
was  lucky  enough  to  stab  the  lion  to  the  heart. 

Simba  station  on  the  Uganda  railway  used  to  be  a  fa- 
mous place  for  lion.  I  was  looking  for  some  near  there, 
when  I  saw  a  herd  of  zebra  run  forward  towards  a  reedy 
watercourse,  snort,  and  run  back  again.  Their  con- 
duct was  so  peculiar  that  I  watched  them  for  some  time. 
They  were  aU  staring  at  something  in  the  bed  of  the 
stream,  and  snorting  at  it.  A  few  would  run  forward 
and  then  rejoin  the  herd,  whilst  at  other  times  the  whole 
herd  would  move  forward  and  then  back  again.  So  en- 
grossed were  they  with  this  game  of  Bo  Peep,  that  they 
did  not  notice  me  till  I  got  close  up  to  them;  then  they 
turned  and  bolted.  At  the  same  time,  two  lion  got  up 
out  of  the  stream  bed  and  fled  in  the  opposite 
direction. 

It  was  at  Simba  that  I  was  mauled  by  a  lion.  In  the 
dry  weather  they  used  to  come  and  drink  from  a  small 
pool,  formed  under  the  water-tank  by  the  drippings 
and  overflow.  This  was  a  tank  raised  on  a  high  iron 
frame  for  supplying  the  engines  with  water.  I  sta- 
tioned myself  here  one  night,  sitting  astride  a  girder. 
After  a  while,  a  lioness  came  strolling  down  the  line 
and  commenced  drinking  at  the  pool  about  six  or  seven 
feet  below  me.  It  was  difficult  to  shoot,  as  she  was  di- 
rectly underneath  me.  Whilst  I  was  trying  to  move  into 
a  firing  position,  she  must  have  heard  me,  as  she  gave 


ABOUT  LION  135 


one  bound  of  about  four  yards  to  one  side,  and  then 
stood  listening.  I  then  fired  and  she  raced  about  two 
hundred  yards  up  the  Une,  and  fell  dead  across  the 
track. 

I  was  just  thinking  of  descending  when  I  heard  a 
rustle  in  the  grass  and  presently  two  lion  came  out  on  to 
the  track,  just  opposite  the  dead  body.  They  began 
scratching  at  and  pawing  it,  then  they  lay  down  beside 
it  and  whined,  and  then  got  up  and  scratched  again. 
It  is  difficult  to  say  how  long  this  lasted;  perhaps  it  was 
half  an  hour.  Then  they  stood  up  and  began  to  roar 
alternately.  This  they  continued  for  about  half  an 
hour,  and  then  they  began  slowly  to  approach  the  water- 
tank. 

The  leading  one  came  on,  swinging  his  head  from  side 
to  side,  his  head  covering  his  chest.  When  he  got  close, 
I  fired  at  him.  I  found  out  afterwards  that  the  shot 
just  caught  the  comer  of  his  jaw,  breaking  part  of  the 
bone  of  the  lower  one,  and  then  glanced  off  into  the 
shoulder.  He  collapsed  into  the  water  trough  just 
below  the  tank.  The  second  one  stopped  on  hearing 
the  shot,  and  then  advanced  again,  not  a  bit  discon- 
certed, to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  gave  him  a  shot 
and  he  waltzed  round  and  then  rushed  into  the  grass, 
where  he  was  found  dead  next  morning,  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  line.  By  this  time,  the  one  in  the 
water  trough  had  picked  himself  out,  and  I  had  just 
time  to  give  him  another  shot  as  he  left  the  track,  after 


136     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

which  I  heard  him  collapse  in  the  grass  close  to  the 
line. 

As  the  moon  had  now  gone  in,  it  was  difficult  to  see. 
I  went  up  to  the  station  and  got  my  orderly  to  bring  a 
lamp.  I  passed  the  spot  at  which  the  last  lion  had  fallen, 
being  able  to  see  nothing  in  the  grass,  and  went  to  the 
lioness.  I  then  returned  and  could  just  make  out  some- 
thing lying  in  the  grass.  The  pointsman,  a  boy,  and 
a  few  other  station  hands  had  gathered  in  a  little  group 
on  the  line  by  the  water-tank,  whilst  the  spot  at  which 
the  lion  was  lying  was  perhaps  fifty  yards  on. 

In  the  dark,  the  body,  which  was  just  discernible,  ap- 
peared a  long  way  below  the  line.  I  imagined  that  I  was 
standing  on  an  embankment.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I 
afterwards  discovered  that  the  track  was  only  a  foot 
above  the  ground  level.  I  thought  I  would  just  have 
a  look  over  the  edge  and  if  the  lion  sprung  I  should  be 
able  to  stop  him,  especially  as  he  had  to  spring  upwards. 

I  approached  the  edge  and  immediately  the  inert  mass 
assumed  life,  and  with  a  roar  sprang  on  me  with  one 
bound.  The  orderly,  who  was  a  few  yards  behind  me, 
not  the  gallant  Matola  I  have  spoken  of  before,  im- 
mediately retired  precipitately.  As  the  lion  sprang, 
I  fired  into  his  chest  and  he  landed  on  me,  his  right  paw 
over  my  left  shoulder,  and  he  seized  my  left  arm  in  his 
teeth.  As  my  left  arm  was  advanced  in  the  firing 
position,  it  was  the  first  thing  he  met. 

The  weight  of  his  spring  knocked  me  down,  and  I 


ABOUT  LION  137 


next  found  myself  lying  on  my  back  my  left  arm  being 
worried,  and  my  rifle  still  in  my  left  hand  miderneath 
his  body.  I  scrambled  round  with  my  left  arm  still 
in  his  mouth  until  I  was  kneeling  alongside  of  him,  and 
started  pummelling  him  with  my  right  fist  on  the  back 
of  the  neck.  He  gave  me  a  final  shake  and  then  quickly 
turned  round,  and  disappeared  in  the  grass  a  little 
nearer  to  the  station  than  I  was. 

I  reloaded  and  covered  him  but  could  not  see  him 
clearly  enough  to  fire.  I  then  passed  the  spot  at  which 
he  was  lying,  keeping  my  rifle  pointed  towards  him. 
I  could  not  see  him  in  the  grass,  and  thinking  him  well 
left  alone  continued  towards  the  station,  meeting  the 
admiring  audience  who  had  witnessed  the  scene  just 
past  the  water-tank. 

Afterwards,  when  I  found  that  I  had  not  the  use  of 
my  wrist,  owing  to  a  nerve  being  practically  severed, 
it  gave  me  great  hope  to  remember  that  I  had  been 
able  to  reload  and  come  into  the  firing  position  again 
without  difficulty. 

I  found  that  I  was  drenched  with  blood  and  my  coat 
and  breeches  torn  with  teeth  and  claws.  I  retired  to 
the  waiting-room,  where  I  got  the  station  master  to 
syringe  out  my  wounds  with  strong  potassium  perman- 
ganate. There  were  eight  big  holes  in  my  arm,  and  I 
afterwards  discovered  three  claw  marks  on  my  back, 
presumably  made  when  his  paw  passed  over  my 
shoulder. 


138     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I  sat  up  in  the  waiting-room  for  about  six  hours,  when 
the  Nairobi  train  came  in,  the  guard  having  been  wired 
to  bring  some  dressings  from  Makindu.  Having  band- 
aged up  my  arm,  he  escorted  me  to  the  train.  This 
was  about  five  in  the  morning  and  all  the  passengers  were 
asleep  in  their  berths.  I  reached  a  carriage  all  right, 
but  just  as  I  got  to  the  steps  my  legs  gave  way,  as  I 
was  very  weak  from  loss  of  blood.  The  guard  had  to 
help  me  in,  and  I  must  have  looked  a  very  disreputable 
object.  The  lamps  were  shaded  and  the  carriage  nearly 
in  darkness.  The  two  passengers  in  the  carriage,  being 
suddenly  awakened  from  slumber  and  seeing  this  disrepu- 
table object  staggering  in,  helped  by  the  guard,  evidently 
thought  that  it  was  some  one  in  the  last  stage  of  drunken- 
ness and,  calling  out  that  there  was  no  room,  tried  to 
push  me  out.  When  it  was  explained  to  them  what  had 
happened,  they  were  of  course  as  kind  as  they  could  be. 

The  shaky  journey  up  to  Nairobi,  after  my  wounds 
had  stiffened,  was  very  painful.  The  pain  in  this  case 
was  probably  due  more  to  the  severed  nerve  than  any- 
thing else,  because  a  big  wound  is,  as  a  rule,  less  pain- 
ful than  a  small  cut. 

At  Nairobi,  I  was  taken  to  the  hospital  where  I 
was  very  kindly  treated.  After  a  few  days  my  arm 
swelled  to  enormous  proportions  and  assumed  every 
colour  of  the  rainbow,  but  owing  to  the  assiduous 
attention  of  the  nurses  it  was  just  saved.  It  was  seven 
months,  however,  before  I  could  use  my  wrist,  and 


ABOUT  LION  139 


about  two  years  before  I  could  feel  really  steady  with 
it  when  shooting,  although  I  shot  my  next  lion  after 
this  event  some  nine  months  later.  I  was  anxious  to 
see  how  I  should  feel  facing  a  lion  again,  as  I  was  afraid 
that  I  might  have  lost  my  nerve;  but  I  seem  to  be 
all  right,  and  have  bagged  seven  since. 

To  finish  with  the  lion  that  mauled  me.  I  gave  very 
defmite  instructions  to  my  orderly  before  leaving, 
that  no  one  was  to  go  near  the  spot  next  day  until 
he  had  been  to  the  top  of  the  tank.  From  this  place 
he  could  get  a  good  view  without  danger,  and  was  to 
fire  at  the  lion  to  see  if  it  was  dead.  I  repeated  these 
instructions  three  times,  as  he  was  rather  a  dense 
person. 

In  the  morning  a  procession  v^^ent  out.  Being 
natives  they  did  just  the  opposite  to  what  Europeans 
would  do;  the  smallest  of  the  party,  my  boy,  led,  while 
the  soldier  with  the  rifle  came  last.  The  boy  tripped 
up  to  the  lion,  who  was  still  alive  and  lying  in  the  same 
place,  and  got  clawed.  Apparently,  the  orderly,  who 
belonged  to  the  same  tribe,  did  nothing  to  help  him, 
but  the  boy  eventually  managed  to  crawl  away.  The 
next  train  was  then  stopped  alongside  the  line  and  the 
hard-dying  lion  was  despatched  from  the  guard's  van. 

I  have  generally  found  a  lion  fairly  easily  killed, 
when  compared  to  hartebeest  and  other  game,  but 
any  animal  once  wounded,  otherwise  than  in  a  vital 
spot,  is  much  more  difficult  to  finish  than  an  xmwounded 


I40     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

one.  No  doubt  if  I  had  had  a  big  bore,  I  should  have 
stopped  him,  but  I  was  shooting  with  a  mannhcher. 

I  think  I  have  never  seen  anything  funnier  than  two 
belated  lions  I  met  near  the  Ndurugu,  British  East 
Africa,  returning  home  with  their  stomachs  dragging 
on  the  ground.  A  herd  of  kongoni  was  following  them 
and  running  after  them  to  look  at  them.  I  never  saw 
anything  look  so  sheepish  and  ashamed  as  those  two 
lion.  Both  were  much  too  full  to  be  comfortable,  and 
were  subject  to  the  stare  of  a  whole  inquisitive  herd 
in  broad  daylight.  They  looked  intensely  deprecating 
and  self-conscious,  as  if  they  wished  to  say,  "It  wasn't 
us  at  all  that  killed  one  of  you  last  night;  we  are  just 
taking  a  walk  and  wouldn't  do  any  harm  to  any  one. 
I  wish  you  wouldn't  stare  so,  it  makes  us  feel  uncom- 
fortable." 

In  1907  I  was  sketching  south  of  Embu.  I  was  re- 
turning to  camp  one  day  when  some  native  guides 
from  the  Embei,  whom  I  had  sent  back  to  camp,  met 
me  and  said  that  they  had  seen  a  lion  sitting  under  a 
tree.  We  went  to  the  spot,  a  nullah  with  a  steep  slope 
on  the  near  side;  and  they  pointed  out  the  top  of  a 
tree,  which  could  just  be  seen  above  the  side,  as  the 
spot  under  which  they  had  seen  the  lion. 

M}^  Dorobo  hunter  and  I  crept  to  the  edge  of  the 
nuUah  and' saw  two  lioness  lying  near  the  base  of  a 
tree,  at  the  bottom  of  the  nullah  on  the  opposite  side. 
There  was  a  thick  tree  growing  close  to  the  foot  of 


ABOUT  LION  141 


our  slope,  and  we  climbed  down  the  side  sheltered  by 
this.  Then  we  crept  along  the  bottom  of  the  nullah, 
sheltered  by  the  palms  growing  beside  the  watercourse, 
till  we  reached  a  point  opposite  the  tree  and  about  fifty 
yards  from  it.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen,  and  I 
was  just  crawling  along  a  little  farther,  on  hands  and 
knees,  when  a  lioness  suddenly  came  out  from  behind 
a  clump  of  palms  and  lay  down  facing  me. 

I  did  not  dare  move  because  there  were  only  a  few 
little  clumps  of  grass,  which  did  not  cover  me,  and  the 
least  movement  would  betray  me.  I  waited  perfectly 
still,  on  all  fours,  for  some  time,  when  she  suddenly  got 
up  and  disappeared  behind  the  palms.  I  then  very  slowly 
and  carefully  sat  down  and  got  into  firing  position.  I 
waited  an  interminable  time  and  at  last  thought  that 
she  must  have  gone  off  under  cover  of  the  palms  and 
reeds. 

I  did  not  like  to  move,  in  case  she  could  see  through 
the  palms,  which  were  close  to  where  she  had  dis- 
appeared, and  so  nearer  to  her  eye  than  mine.  Finally 
she  came  out  again  suddenly  and  lay  down  in  the 
same  place  as  before. 

I  took  careful  aim  and  pulled  the  trigger  and  saw  her 
roll  over.  There  was  a  short  pause,  and  then  two  more 
lion,  both  maneless,  but  one  probably  a  male,  trotted 
out  and  looked  at  the  lioness.  I  had  a  shot  at  the  near- 
est, and  then,  to  my  embarrassment,  four  more  rushed 
out;  the  one  I  had  hit  dashed  past,  crossed  the  water- 


142     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

course  to  our  side,  and  then  went  off.  I  fired  again  at 
another,  and  she  rushed  for  a  pool  on  my  left,  and  fell 
headlong  into  it.  By  this  time  the  others  had  split  up 
and  gone  off  in  different  directions,  with  a  chorus  of 
grunting  and  growling.  I  retrieved  the  two,  but  the 
one  which  had  my  second  shot  got  away  and  I  could 
not  find  him. 

After  this  I  went  back  and  told  the  Embei  guides, 
who  were  very  nice  but  not  very  brave  people,  to  go 
back  to  camp  and  fetch  porters  for  the  skins.  One  of 
them  said  that  he  could  not  possibly  go  alone  with  all 
these  lions  about.  It  was  explained  that  aU  the  lions 
had  gone  off  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  after  a  little 
while  he  was  prevailed  on  to  go.  Almost  immediately 
he  came  tearing  back  and  said  that  he  had  met  four 
lions  in  the  way  who  would  not  let  him  pass.  I 
hurried  to  the  spot  and  found  not  a  vestige  of  spoor, 
so  was  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Embei  was" 
drawing  on  his  imagination.  This,  seven  in  all,  was 
the  largest  number  of  full  grown  lion  I  have  met 
together. 

When  I  returned  to  Embu,  I  heard  that  two  lions  had 
been  seen  in  broad  daylight  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  the  soldiers'  lines,  and  Captain  Gordon,  who  was 
stationed  there,  had  seen  one  at  6  p.m.  We  sat  up 
for  him  without  success. 

Two  days  later,  Gordon  saw  one  of  them  cross 
the  road  towards  the  lines  at  the  same  spot  as  before, 


ABOUT  LION  143 


but  this  time  it  was  at  dusk  and  he  missed  him  in  the 
uncertain  light.  The  day  after,  he  was  alleged  to  have 
again  been  seen  at  the  same  spot,  but  he  was  never 
bagged  and  we  never  could  make  out  what  it  was  that 
attracted  him  to  this  spot  so  often.  He  had  certainly 
been  round  that  night,  as  the  next  day  at  dawn  I  found 
some  tracks  of  blood,  as  if  he  had  clawed  a  bush  pig 
and  it  had  escaped  him. 

After  this,  I  was  looking  for  lions  north  of  Nyeri 
and  had  seen  two,  but  had  not  obtained  any,  when 
I  camped  beside  a  small  swamp.  I  was  listening 
from  my  tent  one  night  to  the  porters  talking  round 
their  fire  and  heard  one  of  them  spin  a  yarn  about  a 
former  visit  to  this  very  spot.  He  said  that  he  was 
with  a  white  man  who  went  out  and  met  nine  lions 
just  here;  he  shot  two,  and  then  one  rushed  at  him 
and  bit  off  his  hand. 

Then  the  lions  went  off,  and  he  returned  to  his 
tent.  Presently  he  called  the  head  man  and  gave 
him  a  letter  which  he  was  to  present  in  Nairobi;  it 
was  for  the  pay  of  the  porters.  Soon  afterwards  they 
heard  a  report  from  his  tent  and  went  in  and  found 
that  he  had  shot  himself,  as  he  was  ashamed  to  live 
with  only  one  hand.  They  took  the  body  and  carried 
it  to  Fort  Hall,  where  it  was  put  in  a  box  and  sent  to 
England.  This  last  touch,  giving  the  story  a  happy 
ending,  I  think  rather  a  fine  effort. 

Next  day  I  called  the  porter  to  ask  him  more  about 


144     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  story,  as  it  had  interested  me,  but  he  pretended 
that  he  did  not  know  to  what  I  referred  and  said  that 
he  had  never  heard  of  any  such  story. 

I  asked  the  district  commissioner  at  Fort  Hall  and 
other  people,  who  had  been  some  time  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, if  they  had  ever  heard  anything  of  the  sort. 
They  were  all  certain  that  no  such  event  had  happened 
since  they  had  been  there,  nor  in  the  history  of  Fort 
Hall,  which  was  only  ten  years  old  then.  I  am  forced 
to  the  conclusion  that  this  rather  pathetic  little  story 
is  only  a  specimen  of  the  wonderful  powers  of  imagina- 
tion of  the  native. 

I  was  returning  from  a  trip  a  little  way  down  the 
Tana  and  came  back  by  el  Doinyo  Sapuk  and  camped 
at  Lion  Rocks  near  the  Athi.  This  is  such  a  well- 
known  place  for  lion  and,  moreover,  so  near  civilisa- 
tion, that  I  never  hoped  to  get  one  there.  I  arrived 
at  about  4  p.m.  and  shot  a  kongoni  for  bait  in  case 
there  should  be  any  about.  Next  morning  at  dawn,  I 
heard  a  lion  roaring  quite  close  to  camp,  so  I  scrambled 
into  my  clothes  and  rushed  out.  I  was  just  in  time 
to  see  a  red-maned  lion  making  off  at  the  other  side 
of  the  Athi,  and  heard  the  roaring  again  from  farther 
down  the  river. 

I  then  went  to  the  kongoni  and  found  that  it  had 
been  eaten,  all  but  the  fore  quarters,  and  there  was  the 
spoor  of  three  round  it;  one  of  a  male  went  towards 
the  river  and  must  have  been  that  of  the  one  I  saw. 


ABOUT  LION  145 


while  that  of  two  lioness  went  down  the  river  and  it 
was  them  I  must  have  heard  roaring. 

I  followed  the  stream  and  found  the  remains  of  a 
zebra  which  had  been  killed  the  night  before  and  com- 
pletely devoured,  all  but  skull  and  shin  bones,  before 
they  came  to  the  kongoni.  Then  I  caught  sight  of 
a  lioness  in  the  distance,  but  could  not  get  up  to  her 
and  lost  her  spoor  on  the  rocks. 

In  the  evening,  I  killed  two  impala,  one  eight  hun- 
dred yards  from  camp,  and  one  in  a  little  gully  with 
a  perpendicular  wall  of  rock  each  side.  I  imagined 
myself  in  the  morning  climbing  up  the  back  of  the 
rocks  and  appearing  at  the  edge  to  find  the  lion  on  the 
impala  just  below.  It  comforted  me  to  think  what  a 
nice  near  and  safe  shot  it  would  be,  as  they  would  be 
unable  to  scale  the  wall  of  rock  and  yet  would  only  be 
about  fifteen  yards  or  so  from  me. 

On  my  return  to  camp  just  after  sunset,  I  was  passing 
a  little  boss  of  rock,  with  cactus  on  the  top,  about  a 
hundred  yards  or  more  from  me,  when  my  eye  sud- 
denly caught  something  on  the  top.  I  looked  closely 
and  saw  perfectly  motionless  what  I  took  to  be  a 
lion's  head.  I  could  not  be  certain,  so  took  out  my 
glasses  and  looked  up.  It  had  disappeared,  so  it  was 
a  hon's  head.  I  sat  down  and  sighted  my  rifle  on  the 
spot,  in  case  it  should  reappear;  but  it  was  dusk  and 
I  could  not  see  the  sights  well,  so,  after  a  little  while,  I 
returned  to  camp,  which  was  a  few  hundred  yards  away. 


146     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

This  rock  was  just  above  one  of  the  impala  I  had 
shot.  I  had  not  been  in  camp  more  than  half  an  hour 
when  I  heard  the  Hon  roaring,  as  he  came  down  from 
the  rock  to  the  impala,  no  doubt  calling  his  companions. 
He  must  have  been  watching  with  some  interest  my 
shooting  and  leaving  the  impala  there. 

Before  it  was  quite  light  next  morning,  I  visited  the 
j&rst  impala  and  found  it  completely  demolished. 
I  then  made  my  way  to  the  second,  that  lying  in  the 
guUey.  I  came  to  the  foot  of  one  rocky  side  and  heard 
a  low  growl  from  the  top  of  the  rock.  It  was  just 
light  enough  to  see  now,  so  I  climbed  up.  I  reached 
the  top  and  put  my  head  over  and  saw  the  heads  of 
several  lioness.  As  I  was  getting  into  a  position  from 
which  I  could  fire,  my  field-glasses  swung  against  the 
rock,  and  made  a  slight  sound. 

The  lioness  dodged  down,  and  I  crept  up  behind  a 
little  bush  on  the  top.  I  saw  a  black-maned  lion,  who 
had  left  earlier,  going  out  across  the  plain,  and  a  lioness 
sitting  up,  who  did  not  give  me  a  shot.  Then  I  heard 
a  scrunching  noise  from  behind  the  bush,  and  then  a 
red-maned  lion  flew  out  and  disappeared  over  the 
edge  of  the  rocky  wall.  I  had  just  time  to  give  him 
a  fl3^g  shot  in  the  flank  as  he  went. 

All  the  rest  were  now  out  of  sight  amongst  the 
rocks.  The  only  one  I  could  see  was  the  black-maned 
one  trekking  straight  out  across  the  plain  several 
hundred  yards  away.     I  put  a  shot  in  front  of  him 


ABOUT  LION  147 


which,  when  it  struck  the  ground,  made  him  turn  and 
come  back  towards  the  rocks,  a  piece  of  luck  I  had 
hardly  hoped  for. 

Then  getting  down  from  the  rock  I  rounded  a  comer 
and  saw  the  wounded,  red-maned  lion  sitting  up,  but 
he  disappeared  round  some  rocks  before  I  could  fire. 
The  black-maned  one  was  now  coming  back  across 
my  front.  I  took  a  nmning  shot  as  he  passed,  and  he 
answered  to  the  shot  and  tore,  grunting  all  the  time, 
towards  a  thick  clump  of  bush  into  which  he  dis- 
appeared. 

There  were  now  two  wounded  lion  to  retrieve.  I 
reconnoitred  the  bush  carefully  and  heard  one  growl- 
ing from  the  inside.  I  could  see  nothing  and  walked 
round  and  round.  At  last  I  got  my  cook  to  fire  a 
shot  at  random  into  the  bush,  whilst  I  stood  ready  to 
receive  him  if  he  came  out. 

Nothing  happened,  but  suddenly  a  lioness  appeared 
from  one  side  and  tore  across  to  some  caves  near.  I 
fired  as  she  ran;  she  answered  to  the  shot  and  dis- 
appeared into  the  caves.  That  now  made  three  to 
recover. 

Leaving  two  men  to  watch  the  bush  from  a  distance, 
I  went,  for  a  change  of  air,  to  look  for  the  red-maned 
one.  We  found  the  spoor  and  followed  it  till  it  got 
lost  on  some  rocks,  and  then  went  to  look  at  the  place 
at  which  the  Honess  had  disappeared.  It  was  a  long, 
winding    cave  which   did   not    look  inviting,  with  a. 


148     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

wounded  lioness  inside  somewhere  and  all  sorts  of  winds 
and  turns.  It  seemed  as  if  one  was  going  to  lose 
them  all. 

I  then  returned  to  the  bush  and  approached  it 
carefully.  It  was  only  a  small  and  clumpy  bush, 
about  five  yards  across,  and  every  moment  I  expected 
an  infuriated  lion  to  rush  out.  At  last  I  got  right  up 
to  it  and  peered  through  it.  It  seemed  only  possible 
that  I  should  see  either  a  live  or  a  dead  lion,  as  we  had 
seen  him  go  in  there,  and  he  could  not  have  come  out 
without  being  observed.  However,  in  hunting  one 
always  meets  with  the  unexpected.  I  saw  no  lion, 
but  the  mouth  of  a  cave  completely  blocked  by  the 
bush.  I  got  imder  the  bush  but  could  see  no  distance 
into  the  cave  as  it  was  darkened  by  the  undergrowth. 
The  next  thing  to  do  was  to  cut  it  down  so  as  to  be 
able  to  look  in. 

Whilst  some  porters  undertook  this  job,  I  went 
again  to  search  for  the  red-maned  lion.  We  struck 
the  spoor  beyond  the  place  at  which  we  had  lost  it, 
and  it  took  us  into  a  thickly  bushed  watercourse. 
Presently,  I  heard  something  moving,  and  the  lion 
broke  out  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  watercourse  and 
started  going  up  the  hill.  I  fired  as  well  as  I  could, 
but  could  not  see  well,  as  I  was  closely  pressed  in  on  all 
sides  by  bushes.  I  hit  him,  and  he  rushed  back  into 
the  bushes  and  I  heard  him  breaking  his  way  through 
towards  me  roaring  lustily  at  intervals. 


ABOUT  LION  149 


I  hastily  retreated,  as  I  could  not  see  a  foot  where  I 
was  standing.  There  was  a  wall  of  rock  just  outside 
the  bush  patch,  and  I  climbed  to  the  top  of  this.  The 
bushes  were  too  thick  to  see  through,  so  we  started 
throwing  stones  at  where  we  thought  he  was.  At  last  we 
located  him,  and  every  time  a  stone  hit  him  he  growled, 
but  he  would  not  move  and  we  never  got  a  sight  of 
him.  At  last  a  big  stone  hit  him,  and  he  moved  down 
into  the  bed  of  the  watercourse,  where  he  was  immune 
from  the  stone  throwing. 

I  then  went  in  again  after  him  with  my  gun  bearer, 
Tengeneza.  I  reached  the  spot  at  which  he  had  been 
lying  and  found  a  lot  of  blood,  and  then  cautiously 
approached  the  watercourse.  The  bank  was  thickly 
lined  by  bushes.  I  parted  these  and  looking  through 
saw  him  just  below  me  in  the  bed  of  the  stream.  He 
tried  to  spring  out  at  me  but  only  got  half-way  up  the 
bank,  and  slipped  back,  and  I  finished  him  there  in 
the  hollow.  We  found  afterwards  that  a  leg  had 
been  broken,  otherwise  it  would  have  been  an  easy 
matter  to  have  sprung  up  the  bank  to  where  I  stood, 
about  four  feet  above  him. 

We  now  returned  to  the  cave  and  found  that  the 
bush  had  been  cleared  away  from  the  entrance.  We 
could  see  about  four  or  five  yards  inside  and  after  that 
all  was  darkness.  We  threw  stones  in  but  nothing 
happened.  The  cave  was  just  high  enough  to  stand 
in  at  the  entrance  but  rapidly  shelved  so  that  to  get 


I50     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

any  distance  one  must  crouch.  There  were  loose 
boulders  on  the  floor  over  which  to  crawl,  and  it  looked 
so  dark  and  uninviting,  that  I  was  only  seeking  for 
an  excuse  to  get  away. 

About  six  porters,  my  gun  bearer,  and  cook,  Husseni, 
were  waiting  to  see  what  I  would  do.  Suddenly,  a 
brilliant  idea  struck  me.  I  pulled  out  my  watch  and 
said,  "Good  gracious,  it  is  already  eleven  o'clock;  we 
have  wasted  the  whole  morning.  We  must  trek  on 
at  once."     So  saying,  I  moved  to  go  away. 

My  cook,  who  is  either  a  perfect  fool  or  else  an  ex- 
traordinarily stout  fellow,  said  to  Tengeneza,  "Come 
along.  Let  us  go  in  that  we  may  ease  our  minds  once 
and  for  all  whether  this  lion  is  alive  or  dead." 

Tengeneza  demurred,  but  Husseni  approached  the 
cave.  This  was  too  much  for  me  so  I  said,  "Look 
here,  Husseni,  just  you  leave  that  lion  alone.  It  is  my 
lion  and  not  yours."  Then  I  told  one  of  the  porters 
to  rush  back  to  camp  and  tell  the  head  man  to  pack 
up  ready  to  start  and  then  I  went  into  the  cave, 
secretly  cursing  Husseni  for  being  a  madman. 

There  was  only  room  for  one,  comfortably,  so  I  led, 
followed  by  Husseni.  After  advancing  a  little  way, 
one's  eyes  got  accustomed  to  the  dark  and  I  said,  "Do 
you  see  that  in  front?  Do  you  think  it  is  a  boulder  ?" 
Husseni  peered  round  my  shoulder,  "I  don't  know, 
master."  "Anyhow,  I  am  going  to  have  a  shot  at  it," 
I  said;  which  I  did.     Nothing  happened,  and  the  rever- 


ABOUT  LION  151 


beration  in  the  cave  was  too  great  to  hear  what  my 
shot  hit.  There  was  darkness  to  each  side,  and  the 
Hon  might  be  on  either  side  or  lying  on  a  ledge.  The 
thing  in  front  I  decided  was  a  boulder. 

To  make  certain,  I  advanced  again  and  put  the 
muzzle  of  my  rifle  against  it.  It  was  soft  and  it  was 
only  then  that  I  knew  that  it  was  indeed  the  lion, 
and  that  he  was  dead,  which  was  rather  lucky  as  he 
had  been  growling  from  inside  not  so  long  before. 
I  felt  him  and  found  that  I  was  at  the  head  end,  so 
I  told  Husseni  to  crawl  over  the  boulders  to  one  side, 
and  that  he  would  find  his  tail  somewhere  and  then 
we  could  puU  him  out. 

Husseni  fumbled  away  in  the  dark  for  some  time 
and  then  said,  "Bwana,  I  cannot  find  his  tail."  "Feel 
about  for  it,"  I  said,  "and  if  you  cannot  find  it  take 
hold  of  a  leg."  We  slowly  dragged  him  out  over  the 
stones,  and  when  we  got  him  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
we  found  out  why  Husseni  had  been  unable  to  find 
his  tail.  He  was  a  magnificent  black-maned  lion, 
but  he  had  no  tail.  It  had  rotted  off.  I  do  not  know 
if  it  had  been  caught  in  a  trap  or  bitten  off  or  what 
had  happened  to  it,  but  there  was  only  the  smallest 
little  stump  left. 

That  was  two  out  of  the  three.  I  next  went  into  the 
big  cave  to  look  for  the  lioness.  It  was  a  rambhng 
kind  of  cave  with  all  sorts  of  turns  and  passages.  I 
only  reconnoitred  as  far  as  I  could  see  well.     There 


152     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

was  an  opening  in  the  roof  which  let  in  a  certain  amount 
of  Hght,  but  when  I  passed  this,  there  was  nothing 
but  darkness.  I  thought  I  would  just  let  that  lioness 
be  and  content  myself  with  the  two  lions  for  that  day, 
so  returned  to  camp,  and  then  trekked  off  to  the  Athi 
River  station. 


CHAPTER  X 

NATIVE   SERVANTS 

As  having  a  good  or  bad  servant  makes  all  the 
difference  between  being  comfortable  or  uncomfortable, 
contented  or  discontented,  he  is  a  most  important 
factor  in  African  life  and,  indeed,  in  every  other  kind 
of  Kfe.  One's  boy  is  the  spectacles  through  which 
one  views  African  Hfe.  Sometimes  he  is  a  perfect  treas- 
ure and  then  life  seems  well  worth  living;  sometimes 
the  very  same  boy  is  so  hopeless  that  he  is  irritating 
beyond  measure  and  one's  whole  horizon  looks  gloomy. 

The  usual  African  is  a  very  uncertain  individual 
and  varies  from  time  to  time  considerably.  In  Nyasa- 
land  one  used  to  suffer  from  black  days  when  nothing 
went  right,  whether  the  fault  was  entirely  that  of  the 
natives,  or  whether  one  was  partly  to  blame  oneself, 
I  do  not  know. 

These  black  days  would  perhaps  begin  by  finding 
one's  askari  (soldiers)  had  forgotten  everything  they 
had  ever  learnt.  Every  conceivable  mistake  they 
could  make,  they  would,  and  one  would  find  that  they 
had  invented  a  number  of  new  mistakes  that  no  one 
had  ever  thought  of  making  before.  A  man  on  whom 
days  of  personal  instruction  in  musketry   had  been 

153 


154     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

spent  would  look  at  one  blankly  when  requested  to 
put  his  sight  to  fixed  sights. 

In  despair  one  would  ask  a  sergeant  to  tackle  him, 
and  the  sergeant  would  carefully  tell  him  that  the  five 
hundred  yard  sight  was  the  two  hundred  and  vice  versa. 
Then  on  looking  at  the  rifles  on  the  tripod,  they  would 
be  found  pointing  in  every  direction  but  the  target,  and 
the  leaves  of  the  backsights  at  every  angle  excepting 
vertical. 

One  would  then  go  and  see  how  another  officer  was 
getting  on  with  his  company  and  he  would  say,  "I 
don't  know  what  is  the  matter  with  them  this  morning; 
they  are  all  as  idiotic  as  they  can  be." 

Having  got  the  ordeal  of  parade  over,  one  would 
retire  to  breakfast,  thankful  to  leave  them.  Perhaps 
one  would  find  no  cloth  laid,  and  on  calling  one's  boy 
and  asking  where  the  breakfast  was,  he  would  look  at 
one  blankly  till  one  said,  "Food,  quick." 

There  would  be  a  long  delay  and  wrangling  of  voices 
outside,  and  then  perhaps  the  cook  would  appear  and 
say  that  he  heard  he  was  wanted.  One  would  be  get- 
ting rather  cross  by  this  time  and  so  would  say  that  if 
breakfast  did  not  appear  in  five  minutes  all  the  boys 
would  get  beaten.  He  would  look  in  astonished  amaze- 
ment. He  had  never  heard  of  such  an  outrageous  de- 
mand as  that  any  one  should  want  breakfast  in  the 
morning. 

So  it  would  go  on  all  through  the  day.     The  inter- 


NATIVE  SERVANTS  155 

preter,  by  way  of  being  a  more  or  less  educated  native, 
would  never  put  the  questions  one  wanted,  and  would 
drive  one  to  distraction  by  answering,  "Yes"  to  a 
question  such  as,  "What  is  his  name?" 

I  dare  say  one's  own  irritability,  after  a  certain  time, 
helped  towards  misunderstanding,  as  one  would  get 
exasperated  and  perhaps  not  careful  enough  to  give 
the  lengthy  explanations  required  to  reach  the  native 
brain.  Nevertheless,  I  have  never  met  these  absolutely 
black  days  in  East  Africa,  Uganda,  and  other  places. 
The  natives  there  are  happy-go-lucky,  as  most  Africans 
are,  and  make  the  most  extraordinary  and  uncalled-for 
mistakes.  They  do  not,  however,  seem  to  suffer  from 
that  sudden  and  complete  loss  of  all  glimmerings  of  in- 
telligence that  the  Central  African  appears  subject  to. 

I  have  often  pondered  over  this  since  and  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  Central  African,  undoubtedly 
less  intelligent  than  the  northern  Bantu,  is  more 
addicted  to  periods  of  blank  unreceptiveness,  when 
the  mind  is  not  working,  and  the  individual  is  in  a  kind 
of  state  of  coma.  This  state  is  induced  by  rest  and 
having  nothing  to  do,  and  so  it  was  generally  after  a 
Sunday's  rest,  including  feasting  and  drinking,  or  not 
having  been  sufficiently  stirred  up  lately  that  these 
blank  days  occurred.  A  very  noticeable  thing  with 
most  Bantus  is  that  work  induces  work,  and  leisure  in- 
duces laziness  of  both  mind  and  body. 

One's  boys  always  appear  to  their  best  advantage 


156     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  so  long  as  these 
circumstances  are  natural  to  them ;  there  is  nothing 
that  upsets  a  native  so  much  as  new  conditions.  After 
a  long  and  wearying  march  and  a  long  period  without 
food,  it  is  really  good  to  see  the  activity  and  care  with 
which  the  camping  arrangements  are  made,  the  celerity 
with  which  your  dinner  is  prepared,  and  the  thought- 
fulness  with  which  your  little  wants  are  looked  after. 
Then,  perhaps,  before  having  rested  or  fed,  one  boy 
well  be  digging  a  trench  round  your  tent,  another 
washing  your  clothes;  all  will  be  busy  at  something, 
and  one  feels  selfish  to  be  sitting  doing  nothing  while 
all  this  is  being  done  for  one. 

Then  take  another  day.  Perhaps  you  start  off  hunt- 
ing before  dawn  and  get  back  after  dark,  hungry  and  ut- 
terly worn  out.  Your  boys  have  had  the  whole  day  to 
rest  and  have  not  been  worried  at  all.  On  such  an  oc- 
casion, one  is  seldom  as  well  attended  to  as  if  they  had 
been  hard  at  work  all  day.  One  finds  that  the  simplest 
and  most  ordinary  duties  have  been  forgotten.  There  is 
no  clean  water  ready  for  drinking,  insufficient  firewood, 
although  it  only  required  a  word  to  the  porters  to  fetch 
it.  The  dinner  has  been  skimped  or  forgotten,  and  there 
is  no  bath  water  or  hot  water  for  tea  ready.  The  lamp 
is  not  lit  and,  in  fact,  nothing  has  been  done  since  you 
left  in  the  morning.  With  the  prospect  of  an  idle  day 
before  them,  the  boys  have  let  their  minds  get  into  that 
state  of  coma  from  which  it  is  difficult  to  arouse  them. 


NATIVE   SERVANTS  157 

It  is  rather  difficult  for  a  European  to  realise  what 
such  a  state  is,  for  his  mind  is  always  more  or  less  ac- 
tive, whether  consciously  or  unconsciously,  even  though 
he  may  appear  to  be  doing  nothing.  I  believe  that  the 
native  is  capable  of  assuming  a  state  in  which  the  mind 
is  absolutely  detached  and  not  working,  and  when  in 
such  a  state,  he  is  only  recalled  by  a  start  to  his  present 
surroundings. 

The  life  of  the  head  man  of  a  village  in  Nyasaland, 
when  not  engaged  in  the  strenuous  pursuit  of  his  of- 
ficial duties,  is  something  like  this.  At  sunrise  he 
crawls  out  of  his  hut  and  sits  outside.  After  a  short 
time  his  wife  crawls  out  and  offers  him  some  food. 
He  eats  this  and  then  makes  his  way  to  a  tree,  perhaps 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  village.  Under  this  he  sits 
in  deep  abstraction,  till  about  noon  a  child  brings  him 
some  food  and  water.  After  partaking  of  this,  he  moves 
a  Kttle  so  as  to  get  the  afternoon  shade.  He  then  sits 
in  deep  meditation  till  sunset,  when  he  crawls  into  his 
hut  and  goes  to  sleep. 

Sometimes  he  is  joined  by  a  few  other  old  men  under 
his  tree.  They  hardly  ever  speak  to  each  other,  and 
if  they  say  anything,  it  is  to  make  some  obvious  remark 
as,  "There  is  a  dog,"  "Yes,  it  is  a  dog,"  "Oh,"  "Ah," 
and  a  further  period  of  silence. 

My  cook,  while  at  Fort  Manning,  married  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  local  chief.  Soon  afterwards  the  father  came 
to  visit  his  daughter,  not  so  much  from  fatherly  affec- 


158     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

tion  as  with  the  idea  of  getting  a  present  from  the  cook. 
I  was  on  the  verandah  when  he  came.  He  sat  down 
in  the  compound  behind  my  house,  and  his  daughter 
sat  down  about  ten  yards  behind  him  with  her  back 
to  him.  I  was  doing  some  carpentering  on  the  ve- 
randah and  watched  to  see  if  they  would  say  anything 
to  each  other,  but  they  did  not  say  a  syllable. 

Presently,  I  called  the  father  to  ask  him  some  ques- 
tion about  his  village  and  he  returned  and  said,  "The 
v^^hite  man  says  so  and  so."  The  daughter  said,  "Ah  !  " 
and  they  resumed  their  position  with  their  backs  to 
each  other.  I  then  went  into  the  house  to  write,  and 
when  I  came  out  again  they  were  sitting  in  exactly  the 
same  position.  An  hour  later  the  daughter  got  up 
and  went  into  her  house,  whilst  the  father,  having  got 
some  calico  from  his  son-in-law,  went  off  home. 

The  northern  Bantus  are  much  more  lively  and 
talkative  than  this,  and  really  seem  to  take  some  in- 
terest in  existence.  I  often  think  that  unfamiliarity 
with  a  language  and  an  inability  to  appreciate  the  limi- 
tations of  a  native's  life  make  him  appear  much  more 
stupid  than  he  really  is.  If  one  comes  to  think  of  it, 
every  one  of  the  hundreds  of  objects  with  which  a 
white  man  surrounds  himself  is  foreign  to  the  native 
and  he  has  to  learn  their  use.  It  must  take  some  time 
for  a  raw  boy  to  learn  the  purposes  for  which  such  ar- 
ticles are  used,  more  especially  as  no  native  will  ever 
ask  another  to  tell  him  what  he  does  not  know,  nor  wiU 


NATIVE   SERVANTS  159 

any  other  native  take  the  trouble  to  show  or  teach  the 
new  boy  anything.  He  has  to  learn  everything  by 
observation. 

Very  strange  are  the  mistakes  made  with  the  white 
man's  belongings.  Pictures  are  put  upside  down,  a 
white  canvas  shoe  is  paired  on  the  shelf  with  a  brown 
leather  boot,  the  table-cloth  is  arranged  pattern  down- 
wards, and  every  conceivable  mistake  is  made.  A 
favourite  sa3dng  of  one  of  the  old  inhabitants  of  Nyasa- 
land  was,  "that  a  native  has  only  one  way  of  doing  a 
thing,  and  that  is  the  wrong  way,"  and  it  does  seem  as 
if  he  always  manages  to  hit  on  the  wrong  way  of  doing 
a  thing  by  an  extraordinary  fatality. 

Take  a  tin  of  jam  which  has  to  be  opened  with  a  tin 
opener.  To  the  native  who  cannot  read  the  writing 
on  the  label  and  who  never  notices  which  side  up  a 
picture  should  be,  the  top  and  the  bottom  must  look 
exactly  alike.  It  is  really  immaterial  which  end  is 
opened,  but  I  have  often  remarked  on  the  unerring 
instinct  with  which  a  native  chooses  the  bottom  to 
open. 

I  have  often  thought  that  when  a  thing  was  done 
wrong  it  impressed  itself  on  one's  mind,  whereas  the 
times  it  happened  to  be  done  right  passed  unobserved. 
With  this  thought  in  mind,  I  took  statistics  of  a  thing 
which  could  only  be  reasonably  done  in  two  ways. 
When  my  slippers  were  put  out  for  me  after  my  bath, 
as  there  was  to  the  native  eye  no  difference  between  the 


i6o     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

right  and  the  left,  there  was  a  combination  of  two 
ways  to  arrange  the  sHppers.  Either  the  left  slipper 
might  be  on  the  left  of  the  right  one  or  it  might  be  on 
its  right.  It  was,  moreover,  easy  to  make  a  note  of 
one's  observations  by  making  a  scratch  on  the  wall. 
The  theory  of  chance  would  lead  one  to  expect  that  in 
the  long  rmi  the  two  positions  ought  to  come  out  about 
equal. 

I  forget  the  exact  result  of  my  statistics,  but  it  was 
either  eleven  or  thirteen  times  running  that  the  slippers 
were  put  in  the  wrong  position,  viz.,  the  left  on  the 
right  of  the  right,  and  then  I  found  them  put  right  once. 

I  was  so  overcome  that  I  ceased  taking  statistics 
at  once  for  fear  of  spoiling  the  result.  Of  course  it 
might  really  only  be  like  a  long  run  on  the  red  at  roulette, 
and  I  might  have  met  afterwards  an  equally  long  run 
on  the  black,  but  I  never  noticed  it. 

I  found  that  the  Central  African  servant  could  seldom 
hold  more  than  one  idea  in  his  head  at  the  same  time. 
For  instance,  if  I  told  my  boy  after  dinner  to  get  me 
my  pipe,  tobacco,  and  matches,  he  would  either  bring 
none  or  only  the  last-named  object,  although  one  would 
naturally  associate  these  articles  together  in  one's 
mind.  He  did  finally  learn  to  bring  them,  or  two  of 
them  together  after  a  year's  practice.  I  often  amused 
myself  by  saying  to  him,  "  Get  my  pipe,"  and  he  would 
go  and  pick  it  up.  Before  he  had  given  it  to  me,  I 
would  say,  "and  the  tobacco."     He  would  return  and 


NATIVE  SERVANTS  i6i 

put  the  pipe  down  and  take  up  the  tobacco;  then  I 
would  say,  "and  the  matches,"  and  he  would  hurriedly 
put  down  the  tobacco  and  bring  me  the  matches. 

I  was  giving  a  dinner  party  in  Zomba  once  and  tried 
to  spread  myself  over  the  feast.  I  took  great  trouble 
to  explain  all  the  dishes  to  the  boys  and  the  order  in 
which  they  were  to  come.  One  of  them  was  a  savoury, 
and  I  had  carefully  explained  that  it  came  last.  We 
got  through  the  soup  all  right  then  in  came  the 
savoury.  It  was  just  being  put  in  front  of  the  guests, 
when  I  noticed  it  and  hurriedly  ordered  its  exit.  After 
a  long  delay,  we  got  the  next  course  and  then  came  the 
savoury  again.  Again  I  waived  it  away  and  we  got  on 
with  another  course,  when  the  persevering  savoury 
reappeared.  One  of  the  guests  said,  "What  is  this 
which  keeps  on  coming  in  ?  I  am  going  to  have  mine 
now,  or  else  I  may  miss  it,"  and  so  we  set  to  and  had 
the  savoury  and  then  went  on  with  the  rest  of  the 
dinner. 

The  Somah  is  a  good  servant.  Of  course  he  comes  in 
a  different  category  altogether  from  the  Central  African. 
I  had  an  excellent  one  at  Aden,  who  looked  after  all 
my  things  in  the  most  careful  and  conscientious  way. 
One  day  he  came  in  with  another  servant  and  a  police- 
man and  explained  that  he  was  just  going  to  prison  for 
a  couple  of  months,  and  so  he  had  brought  another 
servant  to  act  for  him  whilst  he  was  away,  and  to  hand 
over   all   my   things    to   him.     He  handed  over  and 


i62     HUXTIXG   THE   ELEPHAXT   IX   -\rRICA 

counted  out  everj^hing  dov.TL  to  the  smallest  detail  and 
made  the  other  serA'ant  responsible  for  them.  It 
appeared  that  he  was  a  weU-knov^m  thief,  but,  like 
many  good  ser\'ants,  he  only  stole  other  people's  things 
and  not  his  master's.  \Mien  he  came  out  of  prison 
he  came  back  to  me  smiling,  and  was  ver}'  hurt  that  I 
did  not  reengage  him. 

I  have  always  taken  great  pains  to  learn  the  lan- 
guage of  every  country  I  have  been  in,  or  that  was 
likely  to  be  useful  to  me,  and  so  at  one  time  I  took  up 
the  study  of  Somah.  It  is  a  very  difficult  language,  but 
I  myself  believe  that  at  one  time  I  was  fairly  proficient. 
I  could  understand  what  the  natives  said,  but  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  making  them  imderstand  what  I 
said.  There  are  several  ver}-  extraordinar}'  guttural 
sounds  in  the  language.  The  ordinan,-  European  finds 
it  hard  enough  to  master  some  Arabic  letters,  such  as 
'ain  and  the  strong  //.  In  SomaH  there  appears  to 
be  a  caricature  of  each  of  these  letters.  \Miereas  the 
Arabic  'ain  comes  from  the  lower  throat,  often  some- 
thing resembling  the  noise  induced  b}'  a  sudden  blow 
on  the  mark,  the  Somali  '"j/;?  can  only  be  compared  to 
some  of  the  noises  reminiscent  of  a  channel  steamer. 

Xo  doubt,  inability  to  pronounce  these  letters  in  the 
correct  way  made  one  somewhat  difficult  to  understand, 
from  the  Somali  point  of  \dew,  but  they  did  not  occur 
b}^  any  means  in  all  words,  and  one  would  have  thought 
that  one  ought  to  be  able  to  make  oneseh"  more  or  less 


NATIVE   SERVANTS  163 

intelligible  after  a  time.  However,  if  there  was  a 
slight  error  in  a  single  and  immaterial  word,  the  SomaK 
refused  to  understand  the  whole  sentence,  or  anything 
one  might  say  afterwards;  which  used  to  be  the  more 
annoying  as  one  could  understand  when  he  made  such 
remarks  as,  "What  is  the  foreigner  saying  ?  "  "I  don't 
understand  Hindustani  or  English,"  and  so  on. 

When  I  went  to  Nyasaland  after  these  experiences, 
I  was  filled  with  astonishment  at  the  intelligence  of 
the  natives  in  understanding  one.  On  my  first  arrival, 
I  picked  up  a  vocabulary  and  looked  up  "to  want," 
and  found  "Kufuna";  then  "knife,"  and  found 
"Mpeni."  Immediately  the  boy  went  off  and  fetched 
a  knife,  whereas  after  a  year's  study  of  Somali,  the 
chances  would  be  that  I  could  not  ask  a  raw  Somali 
for  the  simplest  object,  and  make  him  really  under- 
stand me. 

I  have  a  sneaking  admiration  for  the  Somali.  He  is 
really  indef eatable;  he  always  comes  out  on  top.  He 
is  the  most  extraordinary,  arrogant,  and  conceited 
person  in  the  world;  he  thinks  he  knows  and  can  do 
everything,  and  it  is  impossible  to  convince  him  other- 
wise. He  lives  in  the  most  hopeless  country  imagin- 
able and  there  seems  no  possibility,  at  present,  of  ever 
being  able  to  teach  him  that  he  is  not  a  lord  of  crea- 
tion, or  at  any  rate  the  only  part  of  the  creation  which 
he  thinks  worth  anything,  —  that  miserable  bit  of 
desert  caUed  Somaliland. 


i64     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

He  often  makes,  as  I  have  said,  a  very  good  servant, 
but  I  do  not  think  he  ever  has  any  attachment  for  his 
master,  although  he  is  quite  clever  enough  to  simulate 
such  a  feeling  if  he  thinks  that  it  will  inspire  con- 
fidence and  lead  to  extra  wages.  I  believe  the  Somali, 
in  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  always  despises  the  white 
man  and  imagines  himself  to  be  vastly  superior  in 
every  way. 

In  the  1900  expedition,  we  left  our  baggage,  servants, 
and  a  rear-guard  in  a  zairba,  whilst  we  made  a  long  night 
march  and  attacked  the  Mullah's  people  next  morning. 
In  this  engagement  Captain  Fredericks  was  killed. 

When  we  returned  to  the  zariba,  I  was  much  touched 
by  Captain  Fredericks'  servant  rushing  up  to  me, 
wringing  his  hands,  and  showing  every  sign  of,  what  I 
at  first  imagined  to  be,  intense  grief.  He  was  an  ex- 
cellent servant  and  Fredericks  had  been  a  kind  and 
indulgent  master.  The  latter  spoke  Arabic,  an  accom- 
plishment the  Somalis  look  up  to,  and  I  thought  that 
his  servant  was  devoted  to  him. 

"What  shall  I  do?  What  shall  I  do?"  he  wailed. 
"  My  master  is  dead  and  I  have  not  been  paid  my  wages 
for  the  last  two  months!  " 

I  told  him  that  white  men  were  not  low  thieves  like 
Somalis  and  that  he  would  of  course  get  paid  every- 
thing that  was  due  to  him.  Down  country,  where  there 
was  no  use  for  money,  the  servants  and  soldiers  natu- 
rally did  not  draw  any  pay,  but  it  was  put  by  until  their 


NATIVE   SERVANTS  165 

return  to  the  coast.  I  doubt  if  anybody  had  any  money 
to  speak  of.  When,  however,  the  servant  had  ap- 
preciated the  fact  that  he  would  be  paid  in  full  when  we 
reached  the  coast  again,  his  grief  subsided  in  the  most 
wonderful  way. 

In  spite  of  the  Somali's  obviously  superior  intel- 
ligence and  ability,  I  would  much  rather  have  for  ser- 
vant the  cheerful  harum-scarum  Bantu.  He  may  smell 
and  be  forgetful,  dirty,  clumsy,  and  stupid,  but  he  has 
certain  doglike  qualities  which  endear  him  to  one. 

The  Swahili  also  often  make  excellent  servants. 
They  have  all  the  cheerfulness  and  hardiness  of  the 
black,  combined  with  a  greater  intelligence  derived  from 
the  Arab.  I  had  a  Swahili  cook,  who  was  a  perfect 
paragon  in  the  bush,  and  as  the  greater  part  of  my  time 
with  him  was  spent  in  trekking,  he  did  me  very  weU. 
Under  very  trying  conditions  he  was  at  one  time  every- 
thing, cook,  boy,  head  man  of  porters,  everything  rolled 
in  one.  Always  cheerful,  willing,  and  obedient  and 
moreover  intelligent,  he  was  invaluable.  However,  he 
had  one  fault,  he  was  an  inveterate  drunkard.  He 
never  helped  himself  to  my  spirits,  but  directly  we 
arrived  in  a  station,  he  managed  to  get  drunk. 

After  several  months  exemplary  conduct  in  the  bush, 
we  would  roll  up  at  a  station.  He  would  put  up  my 
tent,  arrange  the  loads,  and  then  disappear.  No  dinner 
would  be  forthcoming  and  nothing  further  would  be 
heard  or  seen  of  him  tiU  twelve  or  one  o'clock  at  night. 


i66     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

when  his  return  would  be  announced  by  a  flow  of  the 
pecuharly  disgusting  oaths  in  which  Swahih  is  so 
proHfic.  Usually  polite  and  good-natured,  at  such 
times  he  would  heap  the  most  filthy  abuse  on  porters, 
boys,  or  any  native  he  could  find. 

Every  time  this  happened,  and  it  was  only  about 
once  in  three  or  four  months  that  we  touched  at  a  sta- 
tion, I  used  to  swear  that  I  would  give  him  a  sound 
thrashing.  He  was  always  very  penitent  though,  and 
when  I  remembered  his  faithful  services,  I  could  never 
bring  myself  to  carry  out  my  threat.  When  short  of 
porters,  I  have  seen  him  carry  a  tusk  or  a  load  through 
a  long  day's  march,  a  thing  a  servant  will  never  do, 
because  it  lowers  him  to  the  status  of  a  porter.  On 
arrival  in  camp,  he  would  get  up  the  tent,  arrange  my 
things,  cook  the  food,  dole  out  the  porters'  rations, 
bring  in  firewood,  go  off  and  buy  supplies,  nurse  me 
when  I  was  sick,  and  once,  when  I  could  not  walk,  he 
himself  took  one  end  of  the  pole  of  the  improvised 
hammock  and  carried  me  for  miles. 

The  native  servant  is  always  a  potential  thief.  He 
may  serve  you  honestly  for  years,  except  for  minor 
pilfering,  and  then  one  day  help  himself  to  your  be- 
longings. As  a  rule,  however,  he  onlypilfers  and  this 
he  cannot  help  doing.  To  try  to  put  a  stop  to  it,  so 
long  as  he  keeps  it  in  bounds,  is  to  make  both  your 
life  and  his  a  burden.  I  heard  that  a  boy,  who  served 
me  honestly  and  admirably  on  a  long  trek,  returned 


NATIVE   SERVANTS  167 

to  Mombasa  after  I  left,  with  a  good  chit  from  me,  en- 
gaged himself  to  another  European  and  immediately 
absconded  with  two  hundred  rupees. 

While  on  a  little  expedition  one  of  my  boys  helped 
himself  to  money  out  of  my  box.  I  am  very  careless, 
and  no  doubt  it  was  largely  my  fault  for  not  keeping  it 
locked  up.  If  he  had  taken  only  half  or  three-quarters 
of  what  I  had,  I  should  never  have  been  able  to  swear 
to  the  theft,  although  I  might  have  suspected  it,  but 
when  I  found  my  bag  of  rupees  empty,  I  knew  that  at 
least  some  must  have  been  taken. 

When  I  accused  him  of  the  theft,  he  immediately  ad- 
mitted it,  and  volunteered  to  work  for  me,  for  no  pay, 
till  he  had  made  good  his  debt.  He  had  also  taken  a 
note  which  he  had  asked  a  sergeant  to  cash,  and  it  was 
the  fact  of  the  sergeant  asking  me  if  I  had  just  given 
my  boy  a  note  which  made  me  look  at  my  box.  As 
there  was  no  way  of  spending  money  there,  I  asked 
what  had  become  of  it,  and  found  that  he  had  lost  it  all 
gambling  with  some  Somalis. 

He  was  duly  but  leniently  punished,  and  then  came 
back  to  me  and  asked  to  be  reengaged.  This  I  should 
have  liked  to  have  done,  as  the  chances  are  that  he 
would  have  been  honest  with  me  in  future,  and  I  liked 
the  youth.  I  argued  that  a  known  and  discovered 
thief  is  just  as  good  as  an  unknown  and  undiscovered 
one.  However,  as  it  would  have  been  a  bad  example 
for  the  other  boys  to  see  him  taken  on  again,  I  declined 


i68     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

his  services.  A  native  does  not  feel  any  shame  at  being 
convicted  and  considers  himself  just  as  good  after  being 
punished  as  a  native  who  has  not  yet  been  found  out. 
I  suppose  he  feels  that  he  is  not  worse  than  any- 
body else  but  only  more  unfortunate  in  having  been 
detected. 

About  the  only  servant  I  ever  had  whose  honesty 
could  be  judged  by  European  standards  is  a  head  man, 
Abdi  Hassan,  who  trekked  through  Abyssinia  with  me 
and  has  also  been  with  me  in  the  Lado.  However,  he 
is  a  very  exceptional  man,  his  kindness  to  animals  alone 
would  distinguish  him  from  any  other  native  I  have 
ever  met.  Only  the  other  day,  as  we  were  trekking 
along,  I  heard  him  run  up  from  behind  to  expostulate 
with  a  native,  who  was  carrying  two  fowls  head  down- 
wards, a  practice  so  common  in  Africa  that  one  often 
fails  to  notice  it.  I  might  add  that  the  fowls  were 
neither  mine  nor  his,  but  the  native's  own,  so  he  had 
no  personal  interest  in  the  matter  whatever.  For  an 
African,  he  is  most  wonderfully  informed  about  current 
events.  I  do  not  know  where  he  picks  up  his  informa- 
tion, but  he  talks  quite  fluently  about  the  royal  family 
and  asks  questions  about  the  French  in  Morocco. 

The  Northern  African  Bantu,  as  I  have  said,  is  much 
more  intelligent  than  the  Central  African.  They 
appear  more  observant  and  interested  in  one's  belong- 
ings. They  ask  questions  about  anything  of  which 
they  do  not  know  the  use.     The  Central  African  has 


NATIVE  SERVANTS  169 

not  an  enquiring  mind,  and  it  is  seldom  that  he  asks 
about  anything  he  does  not  know. 

The  African  is,  on  the  whole,  very  thoughtful  and 
seldom  forgets  anything  he  is  told  to  do.  That  is  to  say, 
if  you  tell  him  to  do  anything  next  day  or  to  remind  you 
of  something,  he  invariably  does,  although  you  yourself 
may  have  forgotten.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is  quite 
likely  to  do  something  a  hundred  times  in  succession  and 
forget  absolutely  about  it  the  hundred  and  first  time. 

Many  of  his  mistakes  are  attributable  to  not  under- 
standing and  a  fear  of  saying  that  he  has  not  under- 
stood. If  one  does  not  make  oneself  clear,  the  boy 
invariably  says  "yes,"  and  seldom  asks  you  to  explain 
more  fully  or  says  that  he  did  not  hear.  This  pretend- 
ing to  understand  is  sometimes  very  comic,  and  some- 
times very  annoying. 

I  was  going  down  the  Nile  once,  and  we  saw  a  steamer 
coming  up.  I  was  wondering  if  it  was  the  post  boat, 
when  I  heard  some  of  the  Sudanese  talking  about  it 
and  saying  that  it  was  the  Compania  boat.  Not 
knowing  what  this  was,  I  turned  to  a  Swahili  beside  me 
and  asked  him  what  kind  of  boat  it  was.  He  turned 
and  asked  the  Sudanese,  who  said  it  was  the  Compania, 
to  which  he  repHed,  "Oh,  of  course,  so  it  is."  Then  he 
turned  to  me  and  said,  "Master,  it  is  the  Compania 
boat."  "And  what  kind  of  boat  is  that?"  I  replied. 
"How  do  I  know?"  was  the  answer;  "that  is  all  they 
said  it  was." 


lyo     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Two  other  incidents  connected  with  African  servants 
and  I  will  stop.  In  different  parts  of  Africa  I  must 
have  heard  or  myself  asked  the  question  from  a  boy, 
"What  is  this?"  as  a  joint  or  stew  is  offered,  some 
hundred  times.  The  question  generally  originates 
from  the  fact  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  meat  in 
the  larder,  perhaps  a  leg  of  mutton  and  a  bushbuck, 
whilst  one's  companion  has  shot  a  waterbuck  or  hart- 
beest.  The  invariable  answer  is,  whether  the  boy  is 
Uganda,  Swahili,  Yao,  or  whatever  the  tribe,  "Meat." 

Once  I  was  travelling  down-stream  with  my  orderly 
Matola  and  another  native  in  a  very  unstable  canoe. 
Suddenly  we  rocked  and  the  orderly  who  was  standing 
up  to  pole  was  precipitated  into  the  river,  whilst  the 
canoe  half  filled  with  water.  The  other  native  and  I 
just  managed  to  retain  our  places  in  the  canoe,  whilst 
the  gallant  Matola  struck  out  lustily  for  the  bank. 
Looking  over  his  shoulder,  he  called  out  to  me  to  see  if 
my  pocket-book  was  safe,  as  it  was  in  the  pocket  of  my 
coat,  which  I  had  taken  off  and  hung  over  the  end  of 
the  canoe.  The  purposes  for  which  it  was  used  must 
have  been  quite  a  mystery  to  him,  but  he  knew  that  it 
was  a  thing  I  set  great  store  by.  It  was  the  first  thing 
he  thought  about  on  emerging  from  under  water, 
whereas  one  would  have  thought  the  probability  of 
crocodiles  would  have  been  sufficiently  engrossing. 


CHAPTER  XI 

ELEPHANT  HUNTING  IN  THE   LUGWARE   COUNTRY 

The  Lugware  had  a  very  bad  reputation  as  a  hostile 
and  warlike  tribe.  The  Belgians  told  us  that  it  was 
impossible  to  go  to  their  country  without  a  large  escort 
of  troops. 

Hart  was  the  first  to  come  in  contact  with  them,  at 
the  southeast  end  of  their  country,  and  found  it  a  good 
elephant  country,  as  no  one  had  been  shooting  there. 
He  was  unable  to  proceed  as  he  did  not  have  enough 
porters  and  so  returned  to  the  Nile  where  he  met  me. 

He  had  come  across  two  funny  old  men  at  the  villages 
he  came  to,  who  were  distinguished  from  their  fellows 
by  wearing  clothes.  Even  had  it  not  been  for  this  dis- 
tinction, I  should  have  had  no  difficulty  in  recognising 
them,  when  I  saw  them,  from  Hart's  description.  One 
wore  a  hat  closely  resembling  a  Chinese  pagoda,  whilst 
from  their  eccentric  behaviour,  he  called  them  the  two 
knockabout  artists. 

Under  the  auspices  of  these  two  gentlemen,  I  made  my 
first  essays  in  elephant  shooting  amongst  the  Lugware. 
They  accompanied  me  from  village  to  village  and  every- 
where the  people  were  as  hospitable  as  their  abject 
poverty  permitted.     Owing  to  frequent  raids  from  all 

171 


172     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

the  surrounding  tribes,  who  were  better  armed  with 
muskets,  their  country  had  Kttle  to  offer.  Large  tracts 
of  it  were  absolutely  denuded  of  stock  and  even 
chickens,  while  they  said  it  was  little  use  planting  as  the 
surrounding  tribes  came  and  burnt  their  villages  and 
grain  stores. 

A  purveyor  of  meat  under  these  circumstances  was  a 
godsend  to  the  people,  and  they  came  in  from  far  and 
wide  with  news  of  elephant.  After  shooting  a  few  days 
in  the  country  of  the  knockabouts,  I  camped  by  a  big 
river.  The  rains  had  already  set  in  heavily  and  the 
streams  were  constantly  impassable.  Whilst  camped 
here,  I  witnessed  a  lively  scene.  Many  of  the  people 
from  the  other  bank  had  flocked  over  for  elephant 
meat.  The  stream  was  rushing  down  in  full  flood,  and 
on  each  bank  was  a  crowd  of  people  watching  their 
crossing.  One  after  another  they  flopped  in,  holding 
spears  or  bows  and  arrows  over  their  heads  with  one 
hand.  Others  had  baskets  of  meat,  and  shouts  of 
laughter  greeted  those  who  got  into  difficulties,  or  were 
swept  down  the  stream.  The  women  did  not  attempt 
to  swim,  but  lay  flat  on  the  water  whilst  two  men 
steered  each  one  across. 

I  wanted  to  take  a  photograph  of  this  merry,  aquatic 
party,  but  directly  I  got  out  my  camera  one  of  my 
porters,  who  thought  he  knew  all  about  the  require- 
ments of  a  picture,  herded  everybody  out  of  the  way. 
The  only  pictures  he  had  seen  me  take  were  those  of 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     173 

dead  elephant,  before  taking  which  any  natives  block- 
ing the  way  had  to  be  moved  aside,  and  so  he  thought 
that  the  driving  away  of  natives  was  a  sine  qua  non. 
Seeing  his  action,  an  officious  head  man  on  the  other 
bank  shouted  out  to  everybody  to  clear  out,  the  crowd 
on  both  banks  disappeared  like  lightning,  those  in  the 
water  ducked  or  scuttled  out  of  the  way,  and  there 
was  nothing  left  to  take  but  the  empty  river. 

Slowly  the  people  returned,  but  did  not  devote  them- 
selves to  their  water  sports  in  the  same  whole-hearted 
way  as  before  and  cast  anxious  glances  from  time  to 
time  at  my  camera.  So  I  put  it  away  and  prepared  to 
depart,  when  those  on  the  opposite  bank  shouted  at  me 
and  a  man  came  tumbling  across  the  river  to  say  that 
the  chief  was  bringing  some  milk  for  me. 

This  same  chief  was  minus  a  finger,  the  raw  stump  of 
which  I  dressed  for  him.  He  made  desperate  efforts 
to  get  me  milk  such  as  I  could  drink,  and  it  was  only 
on  the  third  day  that  I  finally  got  it  pure  by  sending 
my  cook  to  superintend  the  milking.  The  first  con- 
signment that  was  brought  was  of  very  ancient  date 
and  covered  by  a  green  fungus. 

Two  years  later  I  visited  this  spot,  after  the  enclave 
had  been  taken  over  by  the  Sudan  government.  This 
same  chief  recognised  me  at  once,  as  was  attested  by  his 
waggling  the  stump  of  his  finger  at  me.  He  said  that 
he  was  going  to  bring  me  some  milk,  and  one  of  my 
servants,  who  knew  nothing  about  my  former  visit,  as 


174     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

then  I  only  had  natives  with  me  from  Uganda  and 
East  Africa,  tried  to  explain  to  him  how  to  obtain  the 
milk  clean.  He  was  very  indignant  and  said,  "Do  you 
think  I  don't  know  how  the  white  man  likes  his  milk, 
when  he  doctored  my  finger  and  I  brought  him  milk 
every  day  ?  " 

The  natives  with  me  had  heard  such  stories  about  the 
Lugware  and  how  it  was  impossible  to  go  near  them, 
that  they  were  very  astonished  to  find  that  I  had  been 
there  before  and  was  on  friendly  terms  with  all  the 
chiefs. 

Whilst  in  the  country  of  the  knockabouts,  elephant 
spoor  led  me  twice  past  spots  at  which  I  had  recently 
killed  elephant,  a  coincidence  that  I  have  noticed 
before. 

I  moved  up  the  river  and  the  knockabouts  returned 
to  their  homes,  he  of  the  pagoda  hat  looking  more 
eccentric  than  ever  in  a  pair  of  my  pajamas. 

Whilst  stopping  at  the  next  village,  great  consterna- 
tion and  alarm  were  caused  by  a  native  coming  into 
camp  and  insisting  on  sleeping  by  the  camp-fire.  He 
was  persuaded  by  the  cook  to  go  away  but  soon  he 
returned  saying  that  he  had  been  home  to  feed  and  that 
now  he  had  come  back  to  sleep.  My  cook  came  and 
told  me  of  this,  and  said  that  it  was  certain  that  he 
meditated  some  mischief,  such  as  murdering  us  all  while 
we  were  asleep  or  stealing  a  rifle.  Would  a  man,  the 
cook  argued,  leave  his  house,  his  wife,  his  children,  and 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     175 

all  his  goods  to  come  and  sleep  by  a  stranger's  camp-fire 
unless  he  meditated  some  dark  action?  His  house  was 
but  a  stone's  throw  away  and  it  would  be  easy  for  him 
to  return  home  and  come  back  in  the  morning. 

I  had  the  mysterious  stranger  brought  to  me.  He 
was  a  pleasant  looking  and  cheerfully  disposed  youth. 
As  we  only  had  a  few  words  in  common,  the  interview 
was  not  productive  of  much,  but  I  gathered  that  he 
had  brought  a  chicken  earlier  in  the  day  as  a  present. 
Thinking  that  the  cause  of  his  not  wanting  to  lose  sight 
of  us  might  be  that  he  had  not  yet  received  anything  in 
exchange,  I  made  him  a  present,  and  asked  him  if  he 
was  going  home.     No;  he  was  going  to  sleep  by  our  fire. 

As  we  were  absolutely  dependent  on  the  good-will  of 
the  natives  for  food,  and  we  always  tried  to  establish 
as  friendly  relations  as  possible,  I  told  Husseni  to  let 
him  be,  but  to  be  careful  about  leaving  anything  about, 
whilst  I  put  all  my  rifles  under  my  bed. 

We  woke  up  in  considerable  trepidation  next  morning, 
but  soon  discovered  that  we  were  all  alive  and  well, 
and  the  rifles  all  safe,  whilst  the  genial  stranger  was  still 
with  us.  He  excused  himself  to  get  breakfast,  and  a 
few  minutes  later  returned  to  accompany  me  out  hunt- 
ing. During  the  whole  of  our  stay  in  the  country,  we 
found  the  much  maligned  Lugware  most  friendly  and 
hospitable.  They  were,  it  is  true,  raw  and  utterly 
unsophisticated  savages,  but  nevertheless  they  always 
made  us  feel  welcome. 


176     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

The  river  having  gone  down  sufficiently,  we  crossed 
to  the  other  side,  and  our  friends  came  to  the  bank 
with  us  and  bade  us  good-bye,  and  waved  their 
hands  at  us  as  if  we  were  never  going  to  see  them 
again,  whereas  we  were  going  to  camp  just  an  hour 
away. 

After  choosing  a  site  for  camp,  I  went  out  hunting 
and  shortly  came  on  a  spoor  which  joined  some  others. 
I  was  about  to  follow  the  newest,  when  a  little  Baganda 
porter  called  Maliko  pointed  out  that  the  original  and 
older  spoor  was  of  a  bigger  elephant  and  so  I  took  that. 
When  we  got  out  into  less  hard  country,  we  found  that 
it  was  really  a  big  elephant,  and  a  lone  one,  for  it  never 
joined  any  others,  so  I  rewarded  Maliko  with  a  vest  on 
return  to  camp. 

This  elephant  seemed  to  prefer  to  walk  downwind  and 
gave  us  a  long  hunt.  At  last,  when  the  spoor  began  to 
show  traces  of  being  quite  fresh  and  we  were  expecting 
every  moment  to  overhaul  him,  the  old  fool  marched 
down  wind  straight  into  the  plantations  of  some  villages 
and  then  hearing  the  people  shouting  got  alarmed 
and  stampeded  off,  so  we  had  to  begin  the  long  track 
all  over  again. 

At  last  we  came  out  on  a  stream,  and  my  porters 
urged  me  to  go  back,  as  the  stream  was  too  deep  to 
wade  and  the  elephant  evidently  did  not  intend  to  stop. 
I  was  not  going  to  be  diverted  so  easily,  especially  as  I 
figured  out  enormous  tusks,  so  undressed  and  crossed 


Elephants  shot  in  the  Lado  Enclave 

The  tusks  of  the  upper  one  scaled  94  and  86  pounds.     The  shooting  of  the  lower 
elephant  is  described  in  this  chapter. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     177 

the  stream,  which  after  all  was  only  up  to  the  armpits 
but  was  going  very  fast. 

Again  the  old  elephant  steered  down  wind  and  it 
seemed  hopeless;  however,  we  stolidly  held  the  spoor 
tiU  it  crossed  the  wind  again.  Suddenly,  coming  round 
a  corner,  I  got  the  start  I  had  been  preparing  for  for  so 
long,  as  there  he  was,  standing  forty  yards  away.  I 
thought  that  I  would  make  certain  of  him,  so  exchanged 
the  mannlicher  for  the  big  bore;  not  without  some  diffi- 
culty, however,  as  directly  we  saw  him,  the  gallant 
Maliko  retired  with  it. 

I  came  up  again  and  let  loose  both  barrels.  The  ele- 
phant moved  forward  a  bit  and  stood  evidently  badly 
shaken  up.  I  must  make  certain  of  him  and  so  turned 
for  the  mannlicher.  The  trusty  Mahko  was  twenty  or 
thirty  yards  in  the  rear.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost  so 
I  ran  to  him.  Maliko  misinterpreted  this  action,  how- 
ever, and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  hotly  pur- 
sued by  the  elephant.  The  bush  was  thick  and  he 
could  not  see  from  where  he  was,  so  he  turned  and 
fled  whilst  I  pursued  him. 

Finally  I  got  the  mannlicher  and  came  back  again 
and  found  my  elephant  patiently  awaiting  me.  I  fired 
four  shots  with  the  mannlicher,  each  of  which  misfired. 
I  found  afterwards  that  whilst  crossing  the  river,  water 
had  got  into  the  bolt  and  rusted  it,  a  thing  which  had 
never  happened  with  my  old  one,  which  I  had  had 
seven  years,  whilst  this  was  a  new  one. 


1 78     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

The  mannlicher  being  useless,  I  must  needs  get  my 
big  bore  again,  and  again  Maliko  retired  before  me. 
Finally  I  got  the  big  bore  and  returned  again  to  my  old 
position.  The  elephant  was  still  standing  in  the  same 
place,  only  now  he  had  turned  away  from  me  instead 
of  being  broadside.  Probably  he  would  have  fallen 
anyhow  in  another  few  minutes,  as  he  must  have  been 
very  badly  hit  not  to  move.  Anyhow,  I  would  make 
certain  of  him,  so  I  moved  up  close  alongside  and  put  a 
shot  into  the  shoulder  and  he  dropped. 

The  enormous  tusks  I  had  imagined  from  the  size 
of  the  spoor  were  only  forty  pounds.  The  size  of  the 
spoor  is  generally  a  very  fair  test  of  age  and,  hence,  size 
of  tusk.  Of  the  five  elephant  we  shot  in  Uganda,  my 
rule  came  out  exactly.  Here  are  the  weights  of  tusks 
and  sizes  of  spoor. 

1.  size  of  spoor,  19I"  weight  of  two  tusks,  114  lbs. 

2.  size  of  spoor,  20''  weight  of  two  tusks,  126  lbs. 

3.  size  of  spoor,  2of"  weight  of  two  tusks,  132I  lbs. 

4.  size  of  spoor,  21"  weight  of  two  tusks,  136  lbs. 

5.  size  of  spoor,  22''  weight  of  two  tusks,  172I  lbs. 

However,  there  are  often  exceptions  to  this  rule  and 
this  was  one,  as  his  spoor  was  twenty  and  a  half  inches 
and  the  weight  of  the  two  tusks  seventy-nine  pounds. 
I  have  noticed,  though,  that  elephant  have  bigger  feet 
in  some  countries  than  others.  The  relative  sizes  of 
tusk  and  foot  are  fairly  uniform  in  one  country,  but 
cannot  be  compared  so  well  with  measurements  from 
another. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     179 

The  elephant  had  taken  us  round  in  a  circle  and  so 
we  were  not  so  very  far  from  our  camp.  We  shortly 
struck  a  path  which  took  us  to  a  village  and  from  there 
we  got  a  guide  to  take  us  by  the  shortest  way  back  to 
camp. 

As  we  approached  camp,  we  met  all  our  friends  from 
the  other  side  of  the  river  who  had  bidden  us  such  a  long 
and  affectionate  good-bye  that  morning.  They  were 
all  unrestrainedly  drunk,  having  got  into  this  state 
at  the  expense  of  the  villages  this  side. 

The  chief  was  waving  an  unfortunate  fowl  round  his 
head,  which  he  had  brought  me  as  a  present.  They 
rushed  to  greet  us  as  if  they  had  not  seen  us  for  years, 
and  tears  and  protestations  of  undying  friendship, 
interluded  with  hiccups,  were  showered  on  us. 

I  took  down  the  bolt  of  my  rifle  and  cleaned  the 
firing  pin  and  spring.  It  fired  all  right  after  this,  but 
the  spring  had  been  weakened,  and  I  was  badly  let 
down  later  with  the  same  rifle.  This  was  a  new  rifle 
bought  from  a  gunmaker  I  imagined  to  be  as  good  as 
any  in  England.  I  had  not  taken  down  the  bolt  of  my 
old  mannlicher  for  years  and  I  now  did  so  and  found 
the  spring  and  firing  pin  as  good  as  ever. 

A  great  feature  of  native  information  is  its  extraor- 
dinary inaccuracy.  Some  one  hears  from  some  one  else 
that  spoor  has  been  seen,  and  he  comes  into  camp  and 
declares  he  has  just  seen  elephant,  and  fills  in  pictur- 
esque details  from  his  imagination.    From  long  practice, 


i8o     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I  have  become  inured  to  disappointments  in  this  respect 
and  never  expect  to  find  anything  resembling  what  has 
been  described  to  me.  If  a  man  rushes  in  breathless  to 
say  that  two  elephant  are  standing  just  behind  my  tent, 
I  finish  breakfast  calmly  and  then  prepare  for  a  long 
day.  I  go  out  expecting  to  see  anything  or  nothing. 
There  is  one  thing  I  feel  fairly  certain  about  and  that 
is,  if  we  do  see  elephant  it  may  be  any  number  from  one 
to  five  hundred,  but  that  we  most  certainly  will  not 
meet  with  the  exact  number  enumerated. 

As  I  write  now,  I  have  just  returned  from  a  hunt  after 
two  males  reported  with  tusks  as  long  as  a  spear.  I 
went  out  and  actually  did  see  elephant;  they  were  six 
small  tuskers,  and  I  marvelled  at  the  extraordinary 
accuracy  of  the  information.  There  is  not  much  differ- 
ence between  two  and  six.  After  I  had  left  them 
and  come  back,  a  second  native,  not  knowing  that  I  had 
been  out,  came  across  them  and  rushed  in  to  tell  me 
that  there  were  three  and  he  had  been  watching  them 
aU  day. 

Whilst  out  near  Hargeisa  in  Somaliland  once,  I 
came  on  a  leopard.  I  forget  if  I  fired  and  missed, 
or  whether  I  did  not  get  time  for  a  shot.  Anyhow,  the 
leopard  was  only  a  second  or  so  in  sight  and  bounded  off. 
Presently  a  Somali  appeared  and  told  me  that  he  had 
driven  the  leopard  from  bush  to  bush  by  throwing 
stones  at  it,  from  a  place  about  ten  miles  off  so  as  to  let 
me  have  a  shot  at  it. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     i8i 

I  apologised  for  not  shooting  it,  and  asked  him  if  he 
would  mind  just  driving  it  back  again  and  I  would  be 
ready  for  it  this  time.  This  was  of  course  an  attempt 
to  extort  bakshish  on  the  assumption  that  white  men 
were  the  most  inconceivable  idiots. 

The  genial  black's  false  information  is,  however,  quite 
spontaneous.  I  believe  he  half  or  wholly  believes  it  all 
himself,  or  at  best  he  does  it  to  please.  Therefore,  it  is 
ridiculous  getting  annoyed  with  him  for  what  he  cannot 
help,  and  I  always  feel  vexed  with  myself  afterwards, 
if  I  have  allowed  myself  to  show  any  signs  of  bad 
temper.  The  Arabs  realise  that  the  black  cannot  help 
making  these  occasional  howlers,  and  are  often  wonder- 
fully long-suffering  with  them  on  this  account.  Instance 
the  stories  in  the  Arabian  Nights  of  "the  three  apples," 
and  also  the  slave  who  told  one  lie  a  year. 

In  the  first,  a  senseless  lie  on  the  part  of  a  slave 
causes  a  man  to  kiU  his  wife  on  the  charge  of  infidelity, 
and  in  the  second,  the  slave  causes  all  sorts  of  disasters. 
In  both  cases,  the  slaves  went  unpunished;  they  were 
not  even  whipped. 

On  the  day  after  shooting  the  elephant  just  described, 
I  got  very  irritable  over  some  false  information  brought 
in,  an  irritability  which  might  be  natural  in  a  novice 
but  unpardonable  in  one  who  had  had  so  much  experi- 
ence of  the  black.  At  6.30  a.m.,  a  youth  dashed  into 
my  camp,  as  I  was  having  a  leisurely  breakfast,  to  be 
followed  by  a  quiet  restful  hunt  near  camp,  and  said 


i82     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

that  he  had  that  moment  seen  three  elephant  with 
tusks  as  long  as  his  arms  outstretched. 

This  was  the  stock  length  for  tusks  in  this  country, 
just  as  in  Uganda  they  are  always  the  length  of  the  nar- 
rator's spear,  about  eight  feet  out  of  the  gums.  I  took 
no  notice  of  the  latter  statement,  but  I  really  thought 
that  he  might  have  seen  elephant  or  fresh  spoor.  I 
continued  my  breakfast,  and  asked  if  he  had  heard 
about  them  or  really  seen  them.  "Seen  them?"  He 
pointed  to  his  eyes  and  said  that  moment  he  had  just 
come  from  looking  at  them. 

As  it  was  6.30  A.M.,  there  had  been  scarcely  an  hour  of 
daylight  so  far,  so  if  he  had  seen  elephant  or  spoor  that 
day,  the  very  farthest  it  could  be  was  one  hour  away 
and  the  chances  were  that  it  was  half  that  distance. 
So  I  set  out  after  the  youth  and  we  walked  two  solid 
hours  through  villages  northwards.  Then  we  came  to 
a  small  village  and  my  guide  sat  down  and  had  a  long 
conversation  with  a  man  of  the  village. 

Another  man  was  produced.  The  youth  cheerfully 
admitted,  on  being  pressed,  that  it  was  not  really  him- 
self, but  this  man,  who  had  actually  seen  the  elephant 
this  morning.  Of  course  this  was  manifestly  impossible, 
as  news  could  not  have  reached  my  camp  by  6.30,  but 
such  is  most  native  information  and  the  point  remained 
that  there  probably  were  or  had  been  elephant  in  the 
neighbourhood,  to  make  them  think  of  coming  to  tell 
me. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     183 

I  now  set  out  with  the  new  guide.  This  time  we 
went  through  the  bush.  We  walked  for  another  sohd 
two  hours  without  seeing  a  trace  of  elephant  new  or  old. 
I  then  got  annoyed  and  sent  him  away.  I  continued 
with  my  porters  and  we  actually  did  find  the  spoor  of  a 
sohtary  elephant.  We  followed  it  till  5.30  p.m.,  but 
it  was  still  old  spoor  of  the  night  before,  and  so  we 
returned  to  camp,  tired  and  cross.  The  annoying  part 
was  that  where  we  finally  left  the  spoor  was  the  other 
side  of  camp  and  in  the  exact  locality  I  had  intended 
to  hunt  over  that  day.  If  I  had  pursued  my  original 
intention,  we  might  have  struck  the  spoor  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  at  the  place  in  which  we  left  it 
at  5.30  that  evening  and  so  had  the  whole  day  before 
us  to  follow  it  on  from  there. 

Having  played  out  this  locality,  we  moved  on  to 
Mount  Gessi.  Here  I  got  on  to  the  spoor  of  a  herd, 
but  the  natives,  in  their  eagerness  for  meat  and  desire 
to  bring  me  back  news,  rushed  out  ahead  of  me  and 
gave  them  their  wind. 

The  people  near  Gessi  were  so  pleasant  that  I  decided 
to  wait  there  a  few  days,  or  to  make  short  expeditions 
and  return  again,  especially  as  I  was  expecting  Hart  up 
shortly.  There  was  a  very  inteUigent  boy  here,  the 
son  of  the  chief,  who  arranged  all  my  hunting  in  the 
vicinity,  and  spent  his  whole  time  at  our  camp  sewing 
shirts  out  of  the  calico  I  gave  him. 

I  shot  two  elephant  under  the  mountain  one  day, 


i84     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

one  a  one-tusker.  The  second  I  had  followed  up 
wounded;  when  I  found  him  standing  and  put  a 
shot  into  him,  he  charged  backwards  into  a  thick 
patch  of  bush  and  finally  sat  down.  I  have  never  seen 
an  elephant  perform  a  similar  evolution.  He  almost 
pranced  like  a  rearing  horse  and  moved  some  thirty 
yards  or  more  stern  first. 

When  he  disappeared  from  sight  in  the  bush,  I  could 
see  nothing  of  him,  although  I  reconnoitred  carefully. 
Finally  I  followed  into  the  bush,  but  it  was  so  dense 
that  I  stiU  could  not  see,  till  suddenly  I  came  roimd  a 
thick  patch  and  found  him  with  ears  spread  out,  a  few 
yards  from  me  and  stiU  breathing.  However,  he  was 
unable  to  rise  and  I  finished  him  as  he  sat. 

Whilst  wandering  over  the  hills,  I  passed  the  old  site 
of  a  Belgian  camp  at  Mount  Wati.  The  old  road  had 
overgrown,  but  on  the  site  of  the  station  there  was  only 
short  grass.  Amongst  this,  I  found,  to  my  delight, 
some  small  button  tomatoes.  This  was  a  great  find, 
as  not  only  had  one  no  meat,  but  also  the  only  vege- 
tables I  had  been  able  to  obtain  for  the  last  week 
or  so  were  a  few  sweet  potatoes,  and  very  hard,  dry 
beans. 

I  am  not  fond  of  elephant  meat ;  in  fact  it  is  tough, 
strong,  and  distasteful  to  me,  but  I  had  to  subsist  on  it 
occasionally.  Two  days  after  killing  these  two  ele- 
phant, I  began  to  be  very  hard  up  for  provisions.  I 
had  not  made  any  biltong  of  elephant  meat  as  I  might 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     185 

have  done,  I  had  grown  to  disHke  it  so.  I  had  no  milk, 
flour,  sauce,  or  anything  left.  For  three  days  I  sub- 
sisted on  beans  and  bovril.  I  managed  to  get  a  lamb 
about  the  size  of  a  chicken  but  kept  this  for  Hart's 
arrival.  It  is  a  boring  diet,  beans  and  coarse  millet 
pulse  for  breakfast  and  ditto  for  dinner;  moreover,  it 
upsets  the  stomach. 

It  might  be  thought  that  the  natives  treated  me 
badly  in  the  way  of  produce;  they  really  were  very  good 
but  had  nothing.  A  pumpkin  was  brought  up  for  me 
from  a  village  a  day  away.  When  very  hungry,  I 
bethought  me  of  a  village  we  had  passed  about  ten  or 
fifteen  miles  back,  at  which  the  chief  had  come  out  and 
presented  me  with  a  chicken.  I  sent  a  party  back  to 
this  village  with  presents  to  try  to  obtain  another. 
As  I  have  said,  the  people  had  been  robbed  and  looted 
by  different  expeditions  and  the  surrounding  tribes 
and  had  nothing,  or  what  they  had  was  hidden  in  the 
bush  miles  away. 

When  my  people  came  to  this  village  and  asked  for  a 
chicken,  the  old  chief  said,  "There  is  my  village;  go  in 
and  see  what  you  can  find.  If  you  find  any  chicken 
there,  take  it  and  give  it  to  the  white  man;  but  you 
will  find  nothing,  for  the  one  I  gave  him  was  the 
last  one  I  had."  Being  natives  they  went  and  looked 
and  found  that  the  old  man's  words  were  true.  I 
think  that  this  is  ahnost  the  most  generous  thing  I 
have  known  of  and  the  reader  can  imagine  that  one 


i86     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

has  had  a  soft  spot  in  one's  heart  for  the  Lugware 
ever  since. 

Later,  when  I  was  in  the  service  of  the  Sudan  govern- 
ment, all  the  tribes  round  came  to  complain  of  the  enor- 
mities committed  by  the  Lugware, — how  they  killed 
and  pillaged  everybody  and  how  I  must  not  go  near 
them  without  troops.  I  listened  politely  and  then 
went  up  to  their  country.  As  I  had  imagined,  they  were 
not  the  aggressors.  They  had  been  shamefully  robbed 
and  looted  by  better  armed  tribes,  but  they  are  a  fairly 
truculent  people  and  any  attempts  made  by  them  to 
regain  what  actually  belonged  to  them,  of  stock  and 
enslaved  children,  had  been  magnified  into  unprovoked 
and  uncalled  for  assaults. 

They  are  better  off  now,  as  they  have  had  a  little  time 
in  which  to  recover,  but  at  that  time  they  really  were 
in  a  poverty-stricken  condition. 

On  the  bean  diet  I  was  really  very  bored  till  Hart 
suddenly  rolled  up,  bringing  fresh  supplies  from  Nimule. 
I  had  had  a  shelter  built  at  my  camp,  which  afforded 
pleasant  shade  during  the  day.  I  returned  from  an 
expedition  after  elephant  and  found  that  Hart  had 
arrived,  and  we  feasted  on  such  luxuries  as  bread,  jam, 
tea,  milk,  and  sardines  and  the  lamb  I  had  saved  up. 
Next  day  Hart  trekked  on,  whilst  I  returned  to  the 
following  up  of  an  elephant  I  had  wounded. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ELEPHANT  HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY 

{Continued) 

This  elephant  hunt  began  before  Hart  arrived  back, 
but  as  it  finished  after  he  left  again,  I  have  kept  it  in  one 
to  make  it  more  consecutive. 

WTiilst  at  the  camp  I  had  made  at  Gessi,  a  native 
came  in  to  tell  me  about  one  lone  elephant  who  lived 
by  himself  and  never  moved  from  a  certain  spot.  I 
have  so  often  heard  about  him  that  I  begin  to  know  him 
weU,  although  I  have  never  met  him.  I  have  heard 
about  him  in  Uganda  and  in  Nyasaland,  but  here  he 
seems  specially  to  thrive.  He  is  so  old  that  he  can 
hardly  move,  his  tusks  touch  the  ground  as  he  walks, 
he  is  always  by  himself,  and  stands  about  in  the  same 
place  for  months  at  a  time. 

I  was  taken  down  to  a  village  three  hours  distant  and 
from  here  we  commenced  our  search.  After  wander- 
ing about  for  many  hours  we  had  come  on  no  more 
recent  tracks  than  some  three  days  old.  These  had 
been  seen  the  day  before,  and  the  rest  of  the  story 
had  been  built  up  on  this  foundation. 

We  arrived  back  at  the  village  at  3  p.m.  and  the 
chief  brought  out  food  for  the  porters  with  me.     As 

187 


i88     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

we  were  sitting  at  this  village  some  men  came  in  from 
another  and  said  that  they  had  seen  ten  elephant  close 
to  their  village.  On  receipt  of  this  news,  we  imme- 
diately started  off  again. 

Now  I  think  a  hunter  who  has  been  going  from  sun- 
rise to  3  P.M.  on  false  news  and  then,  whilst  still  three 
hours  away  from  his  camp,  starts  on  new  khahar  at 
that  time,  either  deserves  some  great  reward,  or  ought 
to  be  restrained  under  lock  and  key. 

We  followed  our  new  guide  through  a  few  villages, 
and  then  met  two  men  who  rushed  sweating  out  of  the 
bush  and  said,  "There  they  are  just  there."  We 
followed  these  new  men  for  an  hour  and  they  led  us  to  a 
place  where  elephant  had  been  standing  for  their  mid- 
day halt,  but  had  evidently  moved  on  some  three  hours 
ago. 

Still  undaunted,  we  proceeded  till  sunset  and  were 
then  just  about  to  abandon  pursuit,  when  I  heard 
something  move  in  front.  I  listened  and  heard  the 
rustling  of  a  big  body  pushing  through  the  bushes.  I 
hurried  on  and  found  that  one  big  buU  had  detached 
himself  from  the  spoor  of  the  remainder,  and  he  it  was 
that  we  had  heard.  He  had  evidently  got  our  wind 
and  was  moving  on  fast.  I  raced  down  his  track  and  it 
led  us  round  in  a  semicircle  till  it  joined  the  spoor  of 
the  others  again.  Once  more  I  heard  a  rustling  ahead 
and  so  ran  on. 

Now  an  old  bull  very  often  cannot  be  bored  to  go 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     189 

right  away  when  he  gets  your  wind,  but  he  will  stam- 
pede perhaps  eight  hundred  yards  and  then  stop,  and 
listen  for  you  and  try  to  get  your  wind.  If  he  finds  that 
he  is  still  being  followed,  he  will  do  another  stampede 
and  wait  again.  After  a  time  he  gets  tired  of  this 
game  and  either  goes  right  off  or  gets  seriously  annoyed. 

This  is  what  this  old  bull  had  been  doing ;  he  had 
hurried  away  from  my  wind  two  if  not  three  times, 
and  now  I  was  running  after  him  again.  I  fancied 
that  I  saw  something  moving  in  the  bushes  about  fifty 
yards  away  and  next  moment  I  was  aware  that  an 
elephant  was  crashing  towards  me.  The  bushes  were 
too  dense  to  see  through,  he  was  coming  from  my  left, 
whilst  in  front  of  me  was  a  more  open  space  of  about 
twenty  yards  across  and  then  thick  bush  again. 

I  hurriedly  skipped  across  this  space  and  turned 
round  just  in  time  to  see  an  elephant  with  magnificent 
great  tusks  come  out  and  stand  on  the  exact  spot  on 
which  I  had  been  stationed  a  moment  before.  On 
arrival  there,  he  missed  the  wind  and  stood  moving  his 
trunk  round  nosing  for  a  whiff.  I  had  a  splendid  clear 
broadside  shot,  and  raised  the  mannlicher  which  had 
played  me  false  before.  I  had  two  beautiful  misfires, 
and  then  the  third  shot  went  off.  It  was  badly  aimed, 
as  I  hardly  expected  it  to  fire,  and  it  hit  him  too  far 
back. 

Nevertheless,  he  dropped  on  his  knees  and  I  tried 
another  shot,  which  was  also  a  misfire.    I  found  after- 


I90    HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

wards  that  the  striker  spring  had  broken  and  it  was  a 
wonder  that  it  went  off  at  all.  The  rifle  was  now  suc- 
cessfully out  of  action  till  later  I  managed  to  fit  it  with 
a  new  spring  at  Nimule. 

I  then  bethought  me  of  the  big  bore.  The  last  I  had 
seen  of  it  was  in  the  hands  of  a  porter,  who  was  called  the 
Kirongozi,  or  the  guide,  making  tracks  into  the  bush. 
I  yelled  loudly  for  him  and  ran  to  where  I  had  last  seen 
him.  As  I  ran,  I  looked  back  and  saw  the  elephant 
slowly  pick  himself  up  and  begin  a  stately  retirement. 
It  was  now  nearly  dark  and  by  the  time  I  had  secured 
the  big  bore  the  elephant  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  I 
raced  down  his  track  till  I  could  not  see  to  go  any 
farther  and  then  gave  up,  cursing  the  gunmaker  and 
the  Kirongozi  indiscriminately. 

The  elephant  had  a  truly  beautiful  pair  of  tusks, 
enormously  thick  and  massive.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
judge  the  weight  when  seen  like  that,  but  they  must 
have  been  weU  over  the  hundred  and  as  they  were  so 
thick  they  might  easily  have  been  one  hundred  and 
twenty  or  one  hundred  and  thirty. 

A  long  trek  back  in  the  dark  did  not  improve  my 
frame  of  mind,  and  when  the  cook  served  my  dinner,  I 
stated  my  views  about  the  bravery  of  Baganda  and 
Banyoro  at  some  length,  instancing  Maliko  and  the 
Kirongozi  as  typical  examples.  My  remarks  were 
both  unjust  and  unfair,  as  they  were  but  porters,  and 
were  not  paid  for  the  work  of  gunbearers.     My  own 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE  COUNTRY     191 

gunbearer,  Tengeneza,  was  with  Hart,  and  he  was  as 
staunch  a  fellow  as  one  could  possibly  wish   to  meet. 

After  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours'  trek  there  was 
nothing  better  than  beans  for  dinner  mixed  with  red 
millet  flour.  Perhaps  on  a  better  meal  I  should  have 
felt  more  generously  disposed. 

I  decided  to  start  early  next  morning  and  take  my 
camp  down  to  last  night's  village,  and  try  to  find  the 
wounded  big-tusker.  Once  a  night  has  elapsed,  how- 
ever, it  is  a  thankless  task  and  hardly  worth  under- 
taking. The  almost  invariable  procedure  of  a  wounded 
elephant,  when  night  comes  on,  is  to  make  a  series  of 
winds  and  turns  in  thick  grass  and  bush,  which  will  per- 
haps take  six  hours  walking  or  more  to  cover.  Then 
having  successfully  bewildered  any  one  who  may  fol- 
low, as  they  appear  to  imagine,  they  trek  straight  out 
of  the  district  to  an  enormous  distance.  It  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  cover  their  night's  walk  during  the 
hours  of  daylight  next  day. 

To  a  late  hour  I  heard  the  cook  lecturing  little  Maliko 
and  the  Kirongozi  about  their  enormities.  Before 
dayhght  next  day,  we  packed  up  and  were  ready  to  trek 
at  sxmrise.  We  were  just  about  to  move,  when  a  native 
rushed  in  to  say  that  he  had  that  moment  seen  two 
bulls.  Yes,  he  had  seen  them  both  with  his  own  eyes. 
Apparently,  a  native  never  sees  spoor  when  he  is  out 
by  himself;  he  always  sees  the  animal  itself. 

Two  bulls  in  the  hand  appeared  better  than  one  in 


192     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  bush,  so  I  left  my  porters  with  instructions  to  wait 
till  two  o'clock  and,  if  I  was  not  back  by  then,  to  pitch 
camp  again  in  the  same  spot.  The  cook  placed  the 
big  bore  in  Maliko's  hands  with  final  instructions  on 
how  to  deport  himself,  and  we  started  off. 

A  short  trek  down  the  pathway  and  we  came  to 
spoor  of  the  night  before.  We  foUowed  this  and  I  at 
once  noticed  that  it  was  the  track  of  one  animal  not  of 
two.  Just  to  chaff  the  native  I  said,  "This  is  one. 
Where  is  the  other?  "  The  ready  imagination  of  the 
savage  was  quite  equal  to  the  emergency.  He  had 
seen  this  elephant  and  he  walked  on  till  he  met  two 
other  animals  who  had  come  from  Mount  Gessi.  He 
was  quite  certain  about  this,  although  the  mountain 
was  seven  or  eight  miles  distant.  Then  the  one  had 
trekked  on  whilst  the  two  were  standing  under  a  tree. 

I  began  to  look  attentively  at  the  spoor  and  then 
suddenly  realised,  of  all  wonderful  strokes  of  luck,  it 
was  my  wounded  bull  of  yesterday.  He  had  done  his 
six  hours  of  winding  and  twisting  and  turning  in  the 
thick  country  below,  all  of  which  we  were  saved,  and 
this  was  his  trek  away.  He  was  going  along  at  a  good 
pace  and  never  stopped  except  once  for  a  roll  in  a  mud 
hole.  About  the  other  two  reported,  our  guide  was 
quite  certain  that  they  were  standing  under  a  tree 
close  by ;  he  had  seen  them  there. 

I  thought  that  we  might  have  a  look  before  going  on, 
as  it  was  quite  possible  for  other  elephant  to  be  about. 


\^Mk3jgnm 

-^M 

^^^Mrj    ^ 

f^SW 

fc7    *^ 

M 

^ 

H^nwJKffBR^B 

^M 

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m 

B 

m^^^ 

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t    JM 

mSSSSSKS^^iW^ 

Photographs  by  R.  A.  Osborne. 

Babv  I'^lephaxx  with  Dead  Mother 
The  young  one  was  only  discovered  after  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  shoot  the 

female. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     193 

He  pointed  out  the  exact  spot,  and  after  taking  elabo- 
rate precautions  for  wind,  we  approached  only  to 
find  that  the  whole  story  was  a  myth  and  there  was  no 
spoor  at  all.  I  then  hastened  back  and  cut  the  spoor 
of  my  bull  farther  on.  It  was  still  my  bull  and  I  had 
no  doubt  about  it,  but  the  native  pointed  to  it  trium- 
phantly and  said  that  that  was  the  spoor  of  the  two 
other  bulls  he  had  seen  and  they  must  have  moved  on. 

At  last  we  came  to  a  tree  where  he  had  stood  for  a 
moment  and  then  moved  on  into  some  thick  grass  fif- 
teen feet  high.  Remembering  his  behaviour  of  yester- 
day, I  was  really  very  diffident  about  following  him 
through  this  stuff. 

I  must  now  leave  the  elephant,  to  remark  on  little 
Maliko.  I  was  full  of  contempt  for  him  before,  but 
after  this  day  I  considered  him  the  pluckiest  person 
I  have  ever  met.  A  man  may  do  a  rash  or  foolhardy 
thing  without  being  in  the  least  plucky.  It  is  all  a 
matter  of  temperament.  If  a  man,  while  in  a  ghastly 
funk,  performs  a  plucky  action  I  consider  him  a  real 
hero. 

I  remember  once,  when  a  boy,  hearing  a  story  of  two 
soldiers  going  into  battle  together,  one  a  fire-eater,  and 
the  other  a  well-known  coward.  As  the  first  few  shells 
came  whizzing  past,  the  former  looked  on  the  latter 's 
pale  face  and  said,  "Hulloa,  old  feUow,  how  do  you  feel 
now,  eh?  "  The  latter  replied,  "If  you  felt  like  I  do 
now,  you  would  be  rimning  away." 
o 


194     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Now  little  Maliko  had  received  such  a  wigging  from 
the  cook  that  he  felt  heartily  ashamed  of  himself.  He 
followed  close  at  my  heels  with  the  spare  rifle  and  as 
we  entered  this  thick  stufl',  his  teeth  were  chattering 
and  yet  he  valiantly  stuck  to  me.  Once  or  twice,  I 
stopped  suddenly  to  listen,  and  poor  little  Maliko 
started  out  of  his  skin,  thinking  that  the  elephant  was 
at  hand.  I  saw  that  he  was  about  to  run,  and  then  he 
puUed  himself  together  and  stood  his  ground. 

We  got  through  this  thick  bit  and  both  Maliko  and 
myself  breathed  freer.  Our  respite  was  only  for  a 
moment  though,  as  presently  we  came  to  a  bottom 
of  thick  grass  and  reeds  in  which  the  track  wound  about 
and  sometimes  was  nothing  but  a  tunnel  through  the 
stalks  of  the  grass  which  met  overhead.  I  came  round 
a  corner  suddenly  on  to  a  tree,  under  which  the  elephant 
had  stood,  and  I  felt  glad  that  he  had  had  the  consider- 
ation to  move  on,  as  it  would  have  been  quite  an  awk- 
ward meeting  at  such  close  quarters. 

Still  we  burrowed  on  through  the  reeds,  little  Maliko, 
shivering  with  fright,  following  close  behind  me.  Sud- 
denly, in  one  of  the  numerous  windings,  I  was  brought 
up  sharp  by  a  great  black  mass  in  front  of  me.  There 
he  was  half-facing  me  exactly  five  yards  away.  This 
is  the  closest  I  have  ever  been  to  an  African  bull,  un- 
conscious of  my  presence,  except  that  in  the  South 
Kensington  Museum,  and  the  closest  I  ever  wish  to  be. 

As  I  stood,  one  of  his  enormous  tusks  just  came  in  the 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     195 

way  of  the  heart  shot.  If  I  had  moved  back  a  foot,  the 
grass  would  have  been  in  my  way  and  I  certainly  was 
not  going  to  move  forward  another  inch.  I  had  to  do 
something.  If  I  retired,  I  could  never  get  in  a  position 
from  which  I  could  see  him,  so  I  decided  to  fire,  aiming 
just  to  miss  the  tusk. 

I  cannot  imagine  now  why  I  did  not  go  for  the  head 
shot.  Anyhow,  I  fired  into  his  side  just  too  far  back 
for  the  heart;  he  plunged  into  the  grass,  and  I  took  the 
precaution  to  reload  before  following.  When  I  came 
out  of  the  thick  bed  of  reeds,  I  saw  him  crossing  a  broad, 
shallow  valley.  Before  I  was  half-way  across  this,  he 
was  going  up  the  opposite  slope. 

I  followed  at  a  run  and  caught  him  up  in  some  bush 
country  where  I  had  occasional  views  of  his  stern.  I 
fired  into  this  and  ran  on  reloading  as  I  went.  After 
I  had  repeated  this  operation  several  times,  I  was  in  the 
act  of  reloading,  when  I  heard  a  scream  of  rage  and  he 
v/as  charging  back  along  his  own  track.  I  had  no  time 
to  complete  reloading  before  he  was  on  top  of  me. 
I  cowered  behind  a  thorn  bush  about  one  and  a  half 
feet  in  height,  at  one  side  of  the  track,  and  he  brushed 
past,  his  extended  ear  passing  over  my  head. 

He  stopped  about  twenty  yards  beyond  me,  testing 
the  wind.  I  reloaded  and  tried  to  move  round  for  a 
shot,  as  his  back  was  to  me;  but  before  I  had  got  to 
a  good  position,  he  was  gone  and  I  never  saw  him 
again. 


196     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Maliko  appeared  after  a  time  with  the  spare  rifle, 
looking  very  scared.  I  noticed  that  the  muzzle  was 
plugged  up  with  mud,  showing  that  it  had  been  dropped. 
It  was  lucky  that  I  had  not  suddenly  required  it  in 
this  condition,  as  it  probably  would  have  burst.  As 
a  storm  was  breaking  and  it  was  weU  on  in  the  after- 
noon, I  returned  to  camp. 

Next  day  numbers  of  natives  went  out  to  look  for  the 
elephant.  They  were  to  bring  me  in  news  which  way 
he  had  gone  and  I  was  to  take  on  my  camp  and  try  to 
find  him.  I  have  said  that  it  is  fairly  hopeless  trying 
to  get  a  wounded  elephant  once  a  night  has  intervened. 
I  have  never  yet  done  so  but  I  am  always  just  as  op- 
timistic. I  believe  that  a  wounded  elephant  after 
travelling  forty  miles  or  so  reaches  some  place  where 
he  does  not  move  about  much  till  he  has  recovered. 

I  have  often  wounded  an  elephant  and  come  up  with 
him  again  the  same  day  and  then  finished  him,  but 
never  yet  retrieved  one  that  has  got  away  wounded, 
once  the  night  falls.  I  have,  it  is  true,  twice  shot  ele- 
phant late  in  the  evening  and  not  found  them  till  after- 
wards, but  that  is  a  different  thing,  as  in  both  cases 
they  were  lying  dead  quite  near  the  spot  at  which  I 
shot  them  and  could  not  be  considered  to  have  got 
away. 

It  fills  me  with  surprise  how  some  men  seem  to  get 
their  elephant,  year  after  year,  by  going  out  and  shooting 
at  elephant  and  then  sending  natives  to  retrieve  them. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE  COUNTRY     197 

In  a  week  or  fortnight,  the  tusks  roll  up.  In  all  my 
experience,  I  have  never  got  an  elephant  that  I  did  not 
actually  down  myself,  on  the  same  day,  except  the 
two  alluded  to  above. 

However,  I  determined  that  this  big  elephant  should 
be  an  exception,  and  intended  to  follow  the  spoor  just 
so  long  as  we  could  hold  it,  even  if  it  was  a  week  or  ten 
days. 

News  was  brought  in  that  he  had  crossed  the  big 
river,  and  so  I  took  my  camp  on  there  and  picked  up  the 
spoor,  which  was  now  old.  I  had  an  abscess  on  my  leg, 
no  doubt  caused  by  the  poverty  of  feeding  of  the  last 
few  weeks.  It  was  intensely  painful,  till  after  two  days 
walking  it  burst,  which  relieved  the  pain.  I  thought 
aU  would  be  well  then,  but  on  the  third  day  my  foot  had 
swoUen  to  such  an  extent  that  I  was  unable  to  get  on 
my  boot,  and  so  I  had  to  give  up  my  big  elephant  and 
return  to  my  camp,  carried  by  my  men. 

On  my  return  to  the  camp  at  Mount  Gessi,  I  heard 
that  our  brother-officer,  Captain  Craigie  Halkett, 
had  been  smashed  up  by  an  elephant  near  Wadelai. 
Afterwards  I  learnt  that  he  had  been  charged  in  thick 
grass  and  that  the  elephant  had  stabbed  him  through  the 
thigh  with  his  tusk,  and  had  then  taken  him  up  and 
thrown  him  away;  he  landed  on  his  shoulder,  which 
caused  a  big  contusion.  No  medical  assistance  was 
available,  and  he  lay  in  a  critical  condition  till  the 
steamer   came,    when  he  was  taken  to  Butiaba  and 


198     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

carried  to  Entebbe.  Subsequently  he  completely 
recovered  from  this  smash-up  and  is  now  as  fit  as  ever. 

After  my  abscess  had  healed  up  and  the  swelling 
gone  down,  I  set  off  on  the  Dufile  Road.  This  had  be- 
come completely  overgrown  since  the  time  of  the  Bel- 
gians and  we  lost  the  track  for  hours  at  a  time.  We 
reached  the  old  Belgian  station  of  Arenga,  which  had 
been  burnt  down  by  the  natives,  and  I  found  some  more 
tomatoes  here,  which  pleased  me  greatly.  The  instinct 
of  getting  something  unexpectedly  for  nothing  is 
common  to  all  mankind.  As  a  friend  of  mine  said, 
"Even  a  millionnaire  is  delighted  to  pick  up  sixpence 
in  the  street."  It  is  something  of  the  same  spirit 
which  prompts  the  poacher;  whilst  the  pleasure  the 
fisherman  and  shooter  find  in  devouring  the  spoils  of 
their  chase  is  not  lessened  by  the  thought  that  they 
have  not  paid  for  them. 

We  obtained  two  guides  to  show  us  the  way,  and 
when  we  camped,  a  crowd  of  people  surrounded  us  to 
watch  the  process  of  pitching  the  tents  and  comment 
thereon.  As  I  was  afraid  that  our  two  guides  would 
get  lost  in  the  crowd  and  be  unrecognisable  later,  I 
pointed  them  out,  whilst  I  still  knew  who  they  were,  to 
Husseni,  so  that  they  might  be  duly  rewarded.  Hus- 
seni,  to  make  quite  certain  that  the  right  men  should 
get  the  presents,  pounced  on  them  and  drew  them  out 
of  the  crowd,  placing  them  on  one  side,  till  the  loads  of 
trade  goods  should  be  opened. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     199 

This  action  the  crowd  misinterpreted.  They  saw 
two  of  their  number  smelt  out,  or  detected  by  some 
process,  and  dragged  aside  to  meet  their  doom.  There 
was  no  teUing  on  whom  the  finger  of  fate  would  next 
fall,  and  so  they  all  fled  incontinently  to  a  safe  dis- 
tance. When  they  perceived  that  the  two  suspects 
each  received  a  present  of  salt  and  cloth,  they  re- 
turned, looking  very  foolish,  no  doubt  imagining  that 
if  they  had  waited,  others  too  might  have  been  put 
on  the  proscribed  list  for  punishment  with  salt  and 
calico. 

A  day  or  two's  march  from  Dufile,  I  met  with  a 
country  of  enormously  tall  grass.  Here  I  came  on  the 
spoor  of  a  herd  and,  following  it,  came  up  with  them 
near  enough  to  hear,  but  was  unable  to  see  anything. 
After  manoeuvring  some  time,  I  climbed  a  tree  about 
sixty  yards  from  where  they  were  standing  and  saw  only 
females  and  young.  However,  they  moved  on  again 
before  I  had  satisfied  myseK  that  there  was  not  a  bull 
in  the  herd. 

I  followed  on  again  and  presently  heard  the  rumble  of 
an  elephant  from  one  side.  Thinking  that  it  was  one 
of  the  herd  become  detached,  I  circled  round,  for  had  I 
continued  after  the  herd,  I  should  have  given  him  my 
wind.  Suddenly  I  got  a  glimpse  of  the  author  of  the 
rumble  at  about  fifty  yards'  distance,  a  convenient  ele- 
phant path,  where  the  grass  had  been  trampled  down, 
just  allowing  me  a  glance  at  him  down  its  vista. 


200     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

He  was  a  bull,  but  I  put  him  down  as  quite  a  small 
one.  However,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  he  was  as  good  as 
anything  in  the  herd,  and  as  I  was  suffering  from  ele- 
phant hunger,  not  having  shot  one  for  some  time,  I  let 
drive  at  him.  It  appeared  afterwards  that  he  did  not 
belong  to  the  herd  but  was  a  lone  bull  who  happened 
to  be  passing  from  the  opposite  direction. 

He  disappeared  into  the  grass  and  I  followed  his 
track,  which  went  down  wind.  There  was  a  copious 
blood  spoor,  but  owing  to  his  proceeding  down  wind  and 
the  thickness  of  the  grass,  which  never  enabled  me  to 
see  more  than  a  few  yards,  it  was  a  most  unpleasant 
business  to  follow.  The  day  was  sultry  and  there  was 
not  a  breath  of  air,  whilst  the  elephantine  grass  crushed 
in  on  all  sides. 

As  I  proceeded,  one  of  my  putties  got  loose.  It 
became  looser  and  looser  till  the  end  was  trailing  on  the 
ground.  Now  to  stop  in  the  middle  of  an  elephant 
track,  with  grass  choking  one  on  all  sides,  and  to  stoop 
over  and  undo,  roll  up,  and  retie  one's  puttie  is  a  very 
unpleasant  job.  The  sun  overhead  strikes  one's  back 
and  neck,  the  blood  runs  to  one's  head,  and  the  stalks 
of  grass  get  in  one's  way  and  have  a  knack  of  getting 
tied  up  inside  the  puttie. 

For  this  reason  I  went  on  and  on,  the  puttie  becoming 
looser  and  looser,  hoping  to  meet  with  some  ant-hill 
or  tree  on  which  to  rest  my  foot  while  arranging  it.  At 
last  there  was  a  yard  or  so  of  puttie  trailing  behind  me 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     201 

as  I  walked,  and  yet  I  was  too  lazy  to  stop  and  attend 
to  it. 

Presently  I  met  a  sapling  alongside  the  path  and  it 
forked  just  about  three  feet  above  the  ground.  I  put 
my  foot  up  in  the  fork  and  started  work  on  the  puttie. 
I  had  just  got  it  off  and  was  commencing  to  roll  it  up, 
preparatory  to  retying  it,  when  I  heard  from  close  by 
the  very  faint  but  unmistakable  sound  of  an  elephant's 
ear  rubbing  against  his  side.  My  foot  was  already  in 
the  tree  fork,  and  it  required  little  effort  to  raise  myself 
up  on  it,  but  still  I  could  see  nothing.  There  was 
another  fork  a  few  feet  up,  and  I  raised  myseff  into  this 
and  saw  the  elephant's  head.  He  was  facing  me  at 
thirty  yards'  distance,  and  the  wind  was  blowing  straight 
from  me  to  him. 

I  let  drive  at  his  forehead  from  this  position,  but  what 
with  my  efforts  to  hold  on,  I  was  unable  to  note  what 
happened  on  my  shot.  AU  I  could  see  was  that  he  had 
disappeared.  I  approached  a  little  nearer  and  could 
see  nothing.  I  then  found  another  elephant  path  at 
right  angles  and  circled  round  on  it  but  again  saw 
nothing.  Finally  I  plucked  up  courage  and  made 
straight  for  the  spot  at  which  I  had  seen  him.  I  saw 
nothing  till  within  a  few  yards  and  then  got  a  glimpse 
of  a  black  form  on  the  ground.  I  came  nearer  and 
found  him  lying  dead.  To  my  surprise  he  was 
a  very  fine  tusker.  The  grass  in  this  locality  was  so 
enormous  that  it  had  quite  dwarfed  him,  and  being 


202     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

alone  there  was  nothing  else  with  which  to  compare 
liim. 

I  examined  the  place  carefully  and  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  if  I  had  followed  his  spoor  I  might  have 
seen  him  from  a  distance  of  ten  yards;  but  this  was 
doubtful  and  it  would  have  been  more  probable  that  I 
should  have  had  to  come  within  five  yards  of  him  to  get 
my  first  view.  Of  course  I  could  not  have  had  the 
faintest  idea  that  he  would  have  been  there  and  it  was 
only  the  very  gentle  ear-flap  that  warned  me  of  his 
presence. 

Now  the  moral  of  the  story  is  this.  If  my  puttie 
had  not  come  down,  or  if  I  had  been  such  a  tidy  and 
methodical  person  that  it  would  have  been  more  pain- 
ful to  me  to  walk  along  with  a  dragging  puttie  than  to 
stoop  in  the  sun  to  do  it  up,  I  should  certainly  not  have 
had  that  warning.  He  had  my  wind  and  was  evi- 
dently waiting  for  me.  I  should  have  walked  up  with- 
in ten  or  five  yards  of  him  without  knowing  that  he 
was  there,  if  he  had  not  let  me  know  before,  but  it  is 
more  probable  that  he  would  have  charged  at  fifteen 
or  twenty  yards. 

On  my  return  to  camp,  I  found  that  Husseni  had 
bought  a  small  Serval  cat  for  me.  He  was  sitting  in 
the  basket  in  which  the  chickens  were  carried  on  the 
march.  Unfortunately,  he  died  before  he  reached  an 
age  at  which  it  would  have  been  really  dangerous  for 
the  chickens  to  have  him  as  a  fellow-passenger. 


HUNTING  IN  THE  LUGWARE   COUNTRY     203 

Husseni,  ever  zealous  in  trying  to  keep  me  well  fed 
under  very  difficult  circumstances,  was  in  a  great  state 
of  exhilaration.  He  said  that  he  had  just  concluded 
an  arrangement  by  which  I  could  get  two  sheep,  a 
luxury  I  had  not  tasted  since  the  small  lamb  I  got  at 
Gessi.  One  of  the  villagers  had  brought  an  old  broken 
musket  to  be  mended,  and  Husseni  had  spent  the 
greater  part  of  the  day  in  bargaining  with  him  what  he 
would  pay  for  my  services  as  gunsmith,  and  it  was 
finally  assessed  at  two  sheep. 

The  musket  was  produced,  a  very  old,  rusty  gas 
barrel  of  the  tower-musket  type,  and,  on  first  sight,  I 
despaired  of  being  able  to  do  anything  to  it.  However, 
on  taking  it  to  pieces  and  cleaning  the  parts  and  learn- 
ing the  mechanism,  I  saw  that  it  was  not  in  such  bad 
order  as  it  appeared.  The  chief  thing  wrong  with  it 
was  that  a  pin  was  missing.  Whilst  the  elephant  was 
being  cut  up  and  the  tusks  extracted,  I  spent  the  time 
filing  down  an  old  screw  into  the  proper  shape  to  fit. 
Finally  my  efforts  were  crowned  with  success  and  on 
assembhng  the  pieces  I  found  that  the  hammer 
snapped  all  right. 

The  owner  was  very  pleased  at  this,  but  he  said  the 
final  test  must  be  to  see  that  it  fired  all  right,  and  he 
produced  cap  and  powder.  Now  the  old  gas  pipe  was 
so  shaky  and  the  barrel  so  rusty  that  I  certainly  was 
not  going  to  take  the  risk  of  letting  it  off.  I  had  only 
agreed  to  mend  it,  not  to  endanger  my  eyesight. 


204     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

So  I  said  of  course  I  could  let  it  off  if  I  liked,  as  I  was 
a  white  man  and  knew  all  about  guns.  The  question 
was,  could  he  let  it  off?  If  he  fired,  and  it  went 
off,  then  would  he  know  that  it  was  all  right.  So  the 
musket  was  loaded  and  the  owner  shut  both  eyes  and 
pulled  the  trigger.  To  my  relief  it  went  off  and  did 
not  burst. 

Then  came  the  question  of  payment.  He  had 
promised  two  sheep,  but  native-like  he  tried  to  get  out 
of  paying.  Husseni  collared  the  gun  and  said  that  we 
should  take  it  away  with  us  if  he  did  not  pay.  He 
then  brought  one  sheep,  which  I  had  killed  and  began 
eating  at  once,  so  as  to  have  no  doubt  about  that.  After 
a  tremendous  discussion  with  Husseni,  he  finally  com- 
pounded for  the  second  sheep  by  bringing  four  chickens, 
which  were  put  in  the  basket  with  the  Serval. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   HAPPY  BANTU 

To  understand  the  good-humoured,  happy-go-lucky 
Bantu  savage  one  must  try  to  picture  to  oneself  vividly 
the  limitations  under  which  he  exists.  Often  one  finds 
oneself  unnecessarily  incensed  against  him  over  a 
matter  which  is  absolutely  beyond  his  comprehension. 
I  complained  of  the  stupidity  of  some  porters  one  day 
to  a  friend,  who  replied,  "It  is  a  good  thing  for  us  that 
they  are  so  stupid,  for  if  they  had  any  intelligence  they 
would  never  agree  to  himk  our  loads  round  the  country 
for  us." 

Once  I  was  making  desperate  efforts  to  get  some 
native  porters  to  place  a  number  of  bales  in  an  approx- 
imately straight  line,  so  that  I  could  count  and  check 
them.  The  chief  difficulty  I  laboured  under  was  that 
there  was  no  word  for  "  straight "  in  their  language. 
When  I  came  to  think  it  out,  those  natives  had  never  in 
their  lives  seen  a  straight  line  or  anything  straight. 
Their  huts  are  roimd,  their  trees  crooked,  they  lived  in  a 
state  of  nature,  and  there  is  nothing  that  I  know  of  in 
nature  that  is  straight  except  the  horizon  at  sea. 

The  same  thing  applies  to  balance,  level,  and  almost 
everything  that  we  have  to  do  with  in  our  life.  It 
used  to  be  exasperating  work  hoisting  the  heavy  spars 

205 


2o6     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

for  the  building  of  beacons,  and  the  natives  employed 
were  professional  porters  and  by  no  means  so  dense 
as  the  raw  savage.  One  used  to  arrange  the  men  under 
the  spar  with  forked  poles  to  push  the  end  upwards. 
On  each  side  would  be  one  or  two  to  steady  it  from 
swaying  to  right  or  left.  It  seemed  useless  to  explain 
to  them  that  if  the  whole  lot  got  to  one  side  as  the  pole 
was  going  up,  it  would  be  impossible  to  keep  control 
of  it  in  the  air.  That  in  order  to  get  it  up,  it  must  be 
pushed  from  underneath  or  by  an  equal  number  of 
men  both  sides. 

A  moment  after  it  started,  there  would  be  twenty 
men  lustily  pushing  it  from  one  side  and  one  unfor- 
tunate individual  supporting  it  from  the  other,  too 
stupid  and  too  happy-go-lucky  to  realise  the  danger 
he  was  in  of  being  flattened  out  by  the  falling  spar. 

What  could  such  people  know  of  leverage  or  dy- 
namics ?  How  were  they  to  know  that,  if  they  pushed 
straight  up  against  the  force  of  gravity,  they  could  use 

the   greatest   power   and, 

*:  {  1    moreover,    there    was   no 

Id  '  . 

|^{  j    leverage  from  their  forked 

■Spar  spar->^  polcs   against    them?     It 

was  impossible  to  explain 


t 


/\ 


■i  \  A 


f  \^                   I    to  them  that  if  the  spar 

W  X''                    ! 

/  N                        was  to  go  upwards,  they 

•/  \                  I 

/  \                I    must  conform  to  one   of 

the  two  diagrams. 


THE   HAPPY  BANTU  207 

But  that  a  diagram  such  as  the  next  was  bound  to  end 
in  disaster. 

^  /      \ 

V 

V 
\ 

\ 
\ 
\ 

Again,  practically  every  article,  artifice,  and  art 
known  to  the  European  is  absolutely  foreign  to  the 
savage.  He  cannot  possibly  understand  the  use  and 
purpose  of  the  simplest  thing  till  he  has  been  taught, 
and  not  even  then  in  many  cases.  Often  when  I  am 
reading  or  writing,  a  boy  comes  and  moves  the  lamp 
away;  perhaps  he  thinks  it  is  in  my  way  or  he  may 
want  to  put  a  cup  of  coffee  in  its  place  or  use  it  to 
look  for  something.  He  has  not  the  faintest  idea  that 
the  presence  of  the  lamp  is  essential  to  the  reading  or 
writing. 

Practically  every  night  when  my  boy  brings  a  large 
plate  of  meat  and  gravy  for  my  dogs  and  holds  it  out 
for  inspection,  he  spills  most  of  the  gravy,  says,  ''Oh  ! 
Oh!"  and  in  his  desperate  attempts  to  restore  the 
level,  spills  some  more.  It  reminds  me  of  trying  to 
work  with  a  very  delicate  spirit  level,  and  making  a 
mistake  at  first  as  to  which  side  the  bubble  has  dis- 
appeared. 

The  improvidence  of  the  savage  is  wonderful.     He 


2o8     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

is  an  optimist  of  the  highest  order.  Never  does  he 
learn  by  experience.  Cheerfully  will  he  eat  aU  his 
remaining  food,  perhaps  sharing  it  with  others,  quite 
oblivious  of  the  fact  that  there  are  several  days'  journey 
in  front  of  him  and  no  possibility  of  obtaining  more 
imtil  the  journey's  end.  His  sharing  his  food  is  not 
real  generosity;  he  sees  that  he  has  got  enough  and  to 
spare  for  the  meal,  and  never  thinks  of  the  morrow. 
It  is  too  much  trouble  to  tell  the  others  to  go  away,  so 
he  just  lets  them  eat  with  him. 

On  a  trek  in  North  Eastern  Rhodesia,  I  watched  my 
porters,  day  after  day,  cutting  the  strips  of  bark  with 
which  their  loads  were  tied  up,  to  save  the  trouble  of 
vmknotting  them.  This  happened  nearly  every  day 
for  a  month;  on  arrival  in  camp  they  whipped  out  a 
knife  and  cut  the  last  strips.  Every  morning  they  had 
to  sally  forth  and  cut  and  prepare  new  strips  before  we 
could  proceed.  They  never  learnt  any  better,  not 
even  at  the  end  of  the  trek;  they  are  probably  still 
doing  it. 

Affection  between  husband  and  wife,  parent  and  off- 
spring, as  we  know  it,  is  practically  non-existent  in 
many  of  the  savage  peoples,  whilst  the  mother's  love 
for  the  child  is  much  the  same  as  that  of  an  animal.  I 
have  noticed  this  to  be  especially  the  case  farther  south, 
where  the  people  are  not  so  intelligent  as  the  Bantu  of 
the  north.  The  black  mother  is  an  excellent  mother 
whilst  the   child  is  very  yoimg,   like  most  animals. 


THE   HAPPY   BANTU  209 

Directly  the  child  begins  to  grow  up,  she  has  no  further 
use  for  it,  and  it  has  to  look  after  itself,  like  the  off- 
spring of  any  other  animal. 

Where  the  native  shines  is  in  his  home,  the  bush. 
He  can  generally  beat  the  white  man  in  bushcraft, 
endurance  under  the  trying  conditions  of  a  tropical 
climate,  and  at  going  through  thick  country  he  is  often 
wonderful.  To  show  himself  at  his  best,  however, 
he  must  be  in  his  own  locality;  if  he  is  transplanted, 
even  a  short  distance,  he  deteriorates.  The  white 
man,  who  is  a  keen  hunter,  is  generally  much  more  in 
touch  with  the  native  and  in  sympathy  with  him  than 
the  one  who  does  not  care  for  sport.  It  is  easy  to  see 
why  this  should  be  so.  The  latter  meets  the  native 
over  matters  of  discipline,  taxes,  labour,  and  many 
other  things  which  are  of  the  white  man's  inven- 
tion and  making,  and  so  difficult  for  the  native  to 
understand.  The  hunter  meets  the  savage  on  com- 
mon groimds  and  on  matters  with  which  the  latter 
is,  in  a  primitive  way,  more  conversant  than  he  him- 
seK  is. 

I  have  never  met  the  bushman,  so  cannot  speak  of 
him,  but  of  all  the  African  savages  I  have  met,  I  have 
never  found  anybody  as  skilled  in  bushcraft  as  I  had 
been  led  to  expect.  In  some  parts  they  are  very  poor, 
in  others  passable.  If  they  are  of  any  use  at  all,  they 
are  of  course  better  than  the  average  white  man.  It 
could  hardly  be  otherwise,  considering  they  have  been 


2IO     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

bred  and  born  for  generations  in  the  bush  to  which  a 
white  man  is  a  stranger. 

One's  first  ideas  of  the  savage  as  a  warrior,  tracker, 
and  bushman  are  generally  founded  on  boys'  tales  of 
West  Indians.  The  disillusionment  is  disappointing 
when  it  is  found  that  he  is  neither  lynx-eyed,  stealthy, 
cunning,  quick-witted,  or  quick  of  hearing,  and  that  he 
is  a  wonderfully  bad  marksman  with  the  poor  weapons 
he  has.  Practically  the  only  things  in  which  he  is 
really  remarkable  are  his  powers  of  enduring  the  rays 
of  the  fierce  sun  and  the  way  he  has  of  getting  through 
thick  country  at  a  rapid  pace,  especially  when  escaping 
from  anything. 

The  African  has  seldom  good  long  sight;  most 
Europeans  could  beat  him  at  long  ranges  in  open 
country,  provided  they  knew  what  they  were  looking 
for.  Of  course  if  they  had  never  seen  such  an  animal 
as  a  giraffe  in  their  lives,  the  chances  would  be  in  favour 
of  the  native  seeing  it  first. 

At  short  distances  in  thick  bush  the  native  is  gener- 
ally better  than  the  white  man,  and  sometimes  much 
better.  This  is  only  natural  as  the  white  man  is  abso- 
lutely unused  to  marching  for  hours  with  his  range  of 
vision  confined  to  a  radius  of  within  a  yard  of  his  nose, 
with  occasionally  longer  views  between  vistas  of  broken- 
down  grass  or  thick  bush. 

I  find  that,  as  a  rule,  I  can  keep  level  or  ahead  of  the 
native  in  detecting  game  so  long  as  I  am  on  the  qui 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  211 

vive  and  fresh.  That  is  to  say,  in  the  early  hours  of 
the  morning  I  should  probably  see  game  twice,  to  once 
that  any  of  the  natives  with  me  would  see  anything. 
Directly  the  sun  gets  well  up,  I  go  off  and  then  the 
native  defeats  me  abjectly. 

The  native  often  comes  in  for  much  abuse,  owing  to 
his  vagueness  about  time  and  distance.  It  is  very 
annoying  to  the  traveller,  but  it  cannot  be  helped.  He 
has  never  had  a  watch,  he  has  no  words  for  times  of 
the  day  except  morning,  evening,  and  sometimes  noon; 
and  evening  is  the  only  time  really  very  material  to 
him.  He  generally  knows  if  there  is  time  to  reach  a 
certain  place  or  village  before  it  gets  dark. 

As  to  distance,  it  really  does  not  concern  him  much 
if  he  takes  a  few  days  more  or  less  to  reach  a  place. 
Time  is  no  object  to  him.  The  same  applies  to  season. 
He  would  probably  remember  if  a  certain  event  hap- 
pened during  the  rains  or  during  the  harvest  season, 
but  practically  never  how  many  years  ago  it  was.  He 
would  be  equally  vague  about  the  number  of  months 
that  have  elapsed  since  an  event.  He  generally  errs 
on  the  lesser  side;  he  will  say  it  was  two  months,  when 
it  was  ten,  but  never  say  ten,  when  it  was  really  two. 

As  a  rule,  he  only  has  the  words  "far"  and  "near" 
to  describe  distances;  they  may  be  qualified  by  the 
tone  of  the  voice  or  by  the  word  "very."  The  usual 
European,  on  hearing  that  a  place  is  near,  would  expect 
to  find  it  within  the  next  few  hundred  yards.     If  it 


212     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

was  as  near  as  this,  the  native  would  not  say  "near" 
or  "very  near,"  but  he  would  say  it  is  "here." 

Places  other  than  villages  and  streams  are  often 
grazing  grounds,  or  tracts  of  country  between  two  rivers 
which  bear  a  name.  So  the  traveller,  after  being  told 
that  he  has  reached  the  spot  for  which  he  has  been 
making,  may  have  to  walk  on  another  two  hours  to 
his  camping  ground,  much  to  his  indignation.  He  will 
keep  on  saying,  "But  you  said  we  had  arrived  at 
Shokoli."  The  natives  assure  him  that  this  is  so. 
"Then  where  is  the  water  to  camp  at  ?"  "Just  here," 
the  natives  will  reply,  and  they  will  trudge  on  again  in 
the  sun  for  another  half  hour  and  then  he  will  begin 
to  get  annoyed. 

A  lot  can  be  done  with  these  "nears"  and  "fars," 
if  you  know  the  natives'  way  of  thinking  well.  If  you 
have  been  walking  along  for  several  hours  and  pass  a 
village  and  ask  a  native  there,  how  far  it  is  to  your 
destination,  he  will  cheerfully  tell  you  that  it  is  "very 
near." 

He  is  not  going  to  do  the  march  with  you  in  the  heat 
of  the  sun.  If  he  wanted  to  go  there,  he  would  start 
early  in  the  morning  and  do  the  journey  in  two  or  three 
hours.  The  chances  are  then  that  the  place  will  be 
seven  to  ten  miles  distant.  If  he  says,  "Oh,  very 
near,"  in  a  tone  of  surprise  or  contempt,  it  is  probably 
only  four  to  six  miles. 

Now  ask  him  to  come  with  you  and  show  you  the 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  213 

way.  If  it  is  only  a  few  miles  he  will  readily  consent. 
If  it  is  ten  miles  he  will  probably  demur  a  bit  and  then 
admit  that  it  is  not  so  "very  near." 

The  "near"  of  a  man  in  the  village  will  probably  be  a 
"far"  or  "very  far"  of  one  of  your  porters,  who  has 
been  marching  with  you.  If  your  porters,  after  doing 
three  or  four  hours'  march,  say  that  it  is  "near,"  it 
wiU  probably  be  only  a  few  miles. 

With  a  "far"  you  must  realise  whether  the  native 
means  far  for  one  day's  journey  or  for  more.  "Far" 
generally  means  a  long  day's  trek  and  a  "very  far" 
is  too  long  to  do  in  the  day.  However,  if  you  are  set- 
ting out  from  a  place  to  travel  to  another,  the  same 
"far"  may  be  "near,"  meaning  that  it  is  only  two 
short  days,  which  the  native  will  call  one  day  as  he 
only  counts  the  night's  slept  en  route.  In  estimate  of 
days,  the  native  estimate  is,  therefore,  always  one  day 
short. 

The  Somali  "near"  is  generally  a  fairly  long  one  as 
they  are  accustomed  to  travel  such  distances  for 
water.  The  Somali  will  say,  "  Oh,  near,"  in  a  tone  indi- 
cating that  it  is  nothing  and  point  to  a  tree  or  bush  in 
sight  and  say,  "That  tree  or  bush."  At  first  one 
imagines  that  the  tree  or  bush  indicates  the  site  of  the 
place  and  is  inclined  to  agree  that  it  is  fairly  near. 
After  having  passed  the  bush  and  marched  on  some 
twenty  or  thirty  miles,  one  begins  to  wonder  what  the 
tree  or  bush  had  to  do  with  it. 


214     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

In  open  pathless  wastes  like  most  of  Somaliland,  the 
native  marches  fairly  straight  on  a  bearing,  till  he 
reaches  the  spot  he  is  making  for.  The  tree  or  bush 
was  to  give  the  direction  of  the  place,  and  if  one  takes 
a  compass  bearing  on  it,  from  the  point  at  which  it  is 
indicated,  one  will  find  that  the  guide  keeps  fairly  true 
to  this  bearing. 

In  the  Awemba  country,  distances  are  measured  by 
the  ''Mtundu."  You  are  told  how  many  Mtundu  it 
is  to  the  place  you  wish  to  reach.  Now  a  Mtundu  is 
the  space  between  two  streams.  As  the  greater  part 
of  the  country  is  a  gentle  rolling  country  covered  with 
wood  and  long  grass,  it  is  seldom  that  any  view  is  ob- 
tained, and  if  it  was,  it  would  be  generally  impossible 
to  locate  the  position  of  the  next  stream.  So  a  Mtundu 
may  be  one  or  may  be  ten  miles,  and,  if  anything,  you 
are  worse  off  than  with  ' '  near ' '  and  "  f  ar . "  Also  the  un- 
comforting  thought  occurs,  after  crossing  a  small  dip, 
that  perhaps  this  does  not  count  as  a  Mtundu,  which  is 
generally  the  case.  The  Mtundu  must  not  be  taken 
too  lightly,  and  it  saves  disappointment  to  avoid  count- 
ing any  but  bona  fide  unquestionable  ones. 

There  are  no  professions  amongst  the  happy  Bantu, 
except  occasionally  there  are  families  of  blacksmiths  and 
hunters.  As  a  rule,  however,  everybody  is  supposed 
to  be  competent  to  do  everything  there  is  to  do,  a  dif- 
ference only  being  made  in  the  sexes.  There  are  things 
which  are  considered  men's  work  and  others  which  are 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  215 

women's  work.  There  is,  however,  no  village  mat 
maker,  potter,  ornament  maker  and  so  on,  with  rare 
exceptions.  That  is  to  say,  they  are  as  ignorant  of 
specialisation  as  they  are  of  division  of  labour.  If  a 
man  wants  a  mat,  he  makes  it  for  himself;  if  he  wants 
an  earring  he  makes  it  likewise. 

This  is  perhaps  the  reason  why  the  native,  as  a  rule, 
thinks  that  no  special  knowledge  is  required  to  perform 
any  work  the  white  man  has  to  offer  him.  If  anybody 
else  has  filled  the  post,  he  thinks  that  he  can  do  so 
equally  well.  When  a  native  comes  to  ask  for  work, 
he,  as  often  as  not,  says  that  he  will  do  anything  that  is 
required  of  him.  He  is  equally  ready  to  offer  himself 
as  a  carpenter,  gardener,  transport  driver,  in  fact  any- 
thing. If  he  is  asked  if  he  has  had  any  former  ex- 
perience of  any  of  these  professions,  a  question  which 
vn]l  surprise  him,  he  will  admit  that  he  has  had  none, 
but  perhaps  say  that  he  knows  all  the  white  man's 
work  well,  because  he  was  once  cook's  boy. 

If  a  chief  was  asked  to  select  a  man  for  a  job,  it  would 
never  occur  to  him  to  choose  any  one  especially  quali- 
fied to  fill  the  post.  If  it  was  something  that  would  be 
popular,  he  would  choose  a  friend  of  his;  if  the  reverse, 
he  would  choose  a  small  boy  or  the  least  likely  persor 
to  dare  to  grumble. 

So  if  a  guide  was  required  for  a  rather  tedious  journey, 
he  would  caU  up  probably  a  small  boy  and  tell  him  he 
had  got  to  go.     It  would  never  occur  to  him  to  find 


2i6     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

out  first  if  the  boy  knew  the  way  or  had  ever  been 
to  the  locality  before.  If  some  one  was  required  to 
carry  a  load,  he  would  pounce  on  the  first  cripple  he 
met. 

I  was  starting  in  a  steamer  to  go  up  the  Nile  a  short 
way,  and  then  intended  to  land  and  march.  Some 
porters  had  been  requisitioned  from  a  neighbouring 
chief  and  were  to  go  up  with  me  in  the  steamer.  There 
was  some  delay  about  getting  off,  and  just  as  I  thought 
everything  was  ready,  I  saw  the  sergeant,  who  was 
accompan3dng  me,  cross  the  gangway  carrying  a  man 
in  his  arms.  I  imagined  that  it  was  a  sick  man  being 
brought  for  medicine  or  dressing  and  was  rather 
annoyed  that  our  journey  should  be  delayed.  I  waited 
patiently  for  him  to  be  brought  up  to  me  on  the  upper 
deck,  but  no  one  came  and  presently  the  sergeant 
reported  that  aU  was  ready  to  start. 

I  asked  him  who  it  was  that  he  had  carried  on  board. 
"Was  it  not  one  of  master's  porters  from  chief  so-and- 
so  ?  "  he  replied.  I  went  down  to  inspect  the  man  and 
found  that  he  was  a  paralytic  cripple  who  could  not 
walk.  He  had  been  selected  by  his  chief  as  a  porter 
for  me,  and  it  had  never  struck  the  sergeant  that  a 
man,  who  must  himself  be  carried,  would  be  rather 
useless  as  a  porter,  in  fact  somewhat  of  an  encum- 
brance on  a  long  journey. 

Division  of  labour  is  practically  unknown  amongst 
the    African    savage.     They   have    been   forced   into 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  217 

living  in  communities,  probably  partly  from  fear  of 
attack,  but  it  is  seldom  that  even  two  sections  of  a 
tribe  will  act  together  in  case  of  such  attack.  In 
every-day  life  every  one  acts  for  himself;  practically 
nothing  is  done  for  the  common  weal.  Even  in  attack 
or  defence,  there  is  no  cohesion;  each  man  does  as  he 
hkes,  but  the  knowledge  that  there  are  others  makes 
him  feel  bolder. 

It  is  very  difficult,  practically  impossible,  to  make 
any  large  body  of  savages  work  in  cohesion.  I  have 
often  seen  twenty  natives  make  the  most  futile  efforts 
to  lift  a  log  of  wood  off  the  ground,  that  two  ablebodied 
Englishmen  could  lift  with  ease.  This  is  partly  because 
they  are,  as  a  rule,  weak  in  the  arms  and  partly  because 
none  of  them  make  any  effort.  Each  one  sees  that  the 
log  is  too  heavy  for  him  to  lift  by  himself  and  so  thinks  it 
an  impossible  feat  to  be  asked  to  accomplish.  If  after 
great  exertions  the  log  is  lifted,  they  generally  make 
the  most  awful  groans  and  put  it  down  again.  Prob- 
ably also  each  one  thinks  that  with  so  many  others  at 
work,  it  is  not  necessary  for  him  to  be  more  than  a 
spectator. 

I  was  watching  a  party  of  natives,  the  other  day, 
raising  one  end  of  a  tree  which  was  going  to  be  used  as 
a  beam  of  a  house.  With  awful  groans  they  got  the 
end  about  four  feet  off  the  ground  and  then  were  grad- 
ually letting  it  down  again,  inch  by  inch.  I  thought  it 
must  be  heavier  than  it  looked,  so  gave  a  hoist  to  the 


2i8     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

end,  and  up  it  went  above  my  head,  leaving  all  their 
hands  groping  for  it.  It  could  not  have  required  more 
than  an  eighty-pound  or  one  hundred-pound  shove  to 
send  it  up,  and  there  were  ten  men,  each  one  of  whom 
would  have  thought  nothing  of  picking  up  a  fifty-pound 
load  and  walking  off  ten  miles  with  it,  quite  unable  to 
lift  it  up.  Moreover,  I  cannot  devise  any  way  of 
making  them  put  a  due  proportion  of  work  into  a 
united  effort,  unless  one  was  to  treat  them  as  one 
treats  a  sluggard  in  a  team  of  oxen. 

Some  people  would  say  this  was  laziness,  but  it  is 
not;  the  same  men  would  patiently  toil  all  day  long  at 
lifting  up  twenty-pound  stones  to  a  platform.  It  is 
sheer  inability  to  understand  that  a  few  men  working 
together  can  accomplish  much  more  than  one  singly. 

To  continue  with  the  raising  of  the  beam.  You  get 
one  end  up,  with  the  end  on  the  top  of  the  wall  to 
prevent  it  slipping  back,  and  you  tie  a  roDe  to  it  which 
is  given  to  ten  men  to  hold.  You  then  start  hoisting 
the  other  end  and  look  up  to  see  what  the  ten  men  are 
doing.  Half  of  them  have  let  go  altogether,  one  is 
sitting  down  to  pick  his  toes  and  is  holding  the  end  of 
the  rope  under  his  chin,  the  remaining  men  are  lightly 
holding  it  with  one  hand  and  engaging  in  conversation. 
Any  moment  the  beam  may  slip  off  and  come  rattling 
down  on  the  heads  and  toes  of  those  below.  They  do 
not  understand  the  responsibility  of  their  position;  that 
is  all. 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  219 

The  native  is  not,  as  a  rule,  a  reliable  and  trustworthy 
person,  either  as  a  witness  or  as  a  newsmonger.  There 
is  generally  some  one  thing  true  in  the  native  statement. 
It  is  a  nucleus  of  fact  around  which  a  nebula  of  fiction 
has  formed.  For  instance,  a  man  rushes  in  and  says 
that  there  is  a  solitary  big  male  Puku,  with  enormous 
horns,  just  behind  my  tent.  On  going  out,  I  see  nothing, 
but  on  proceeding  a  short  way,  two  hornless  females  are 
pointed  out  in  the  distance.  The  nucleus  of  fact  here 
is  Puku;  he  said  Puku  and  there  really  were  some. 

A  Dorobo  hunter  says  suddenly,  as  we  are  walking 
along,  "There  goes  a  lion."  I  look  up  and  see  a 
hyasna.     The  nucleus  is,  "There  goes." 

A  native  rushes  in  perspiring  at  every  pore  and  says 
that  he  has  this  moment  seen  ten  bull  elephants  passing 
close  by.  One  walks  out  fifteen  miles  and  is  shown  the 
five-day-old  spoor  of  one  elephant.  The  nucleus  of 
truth  in  this  is,  "elephant  passing." 

It  seems  a  point  of  honour  with  a  native  never  to 
correct  another  or  to  teach  him  anything.  You  get 
a  new  and  raw  boy.  Your  old  boy  will  almost  imme- 
diately detail  him  to  lay  the  table  whilst  he  himself 
takes  a  rest.  When  you  survey  the  wonderful  inge- 
nuity he  has  used  in  putting  everything  in  the  wrong 
place,  you  call  your  old  boy  and  ask  him  what  has 
happened  to  the  table  to-day.  He  will  not  understand 
you  till  you  carefully  point  out  that  everything  is  in 
the  wrong  place,  and  then  he  will  say  that  the  new  boy 


2  20     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

is  a  very  ignorant  and  worthless  youth,  forgetting  that 
he  himself  was  just  as  ignorant  at  one  time  over  these 
matters. 

You  then  tell  him  to  show  the  new  boy  how  to  lay 
the  table,  so  he  calls  him,  abuses  him  soundly,  and  tells 
him  to  lay  it  properly.  The  latter  is  naturally  non- 
plussed, and  after  making  various  attempts,  is  told  to 
go  away  whilst  the  old  boy  arranges  the  table. 

The  next  few  days  the  old  boy  will  lay  the  table, 
whilst  the  new  boy  sits  in  the  kitchen,  then  he  will  be 
deputed  to  lay  the  table  again,  with  the  same  results. 
When  you  complain  again,  you  will  hear  that  he  is  so 
lacking  in  intelhgence  that  it  is  really  impossible  to 
teach  him  anything. 

You  leave  a  village  and  find  elephant  spoor  close  to 
the  village.  Various  people  have  different  views  as  to 
its  age;  some  say  that  it  is  fresh  and  some  old.  You 
follow  the  spoor  and  make  minute  observations  and  at 
last  decide  that  it  was  of  the  day  before.  Then  you 
suddenly  remember  that  a  native  from  the  village  has 
been  following  you  all  the  while  and  that  he  is  sure  to 
know  if  elephant  came  into  his  fields  the  night  before. 
He  has  followed  you  and  watched  your  observations  and 
listened  to  the  trackers'  conversation  as  to  the  age  of 
the  spoor  and  never  made  a  remark,  and  yet  he  must 
have  known  for  certain  from  the  first.  If  you  had 
followed  the  old  spoor  all  day  long,  he  would  never  have 
volunteered  a  statement.     You  now  ask  him  whether 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  221 

these  elephant  came  back  to  any  other  part  of  the 
fields  last  night  and  he  says,  "No." 

"Did  you  notice  this  spoor  yesterday?" 

"Yes." 

"When  did  they  come  here?" 

"The  night  before  last,  early  in  the  morning." 

The  African  native  is  very  tolerant.  He  never  says 
"You  liar,"  but  only  grunts  assent  to  the  most  impos- 
sible story  or  statement  which  he  must  know  is  an 
absolute  fabrication.  I  have  often  heard  some  boy 
la}dng  down  the  law  and  talking  the  most  awful  bal- 
derdash about  game  to  my  two  old  trackers  in  Nyasa- 
land,  whilst  the  latter  would  sit  at  his  feet  as  earnest 
listeners.  They  must  have  known  what  pure  rot  he 
was  talking,  and  it  must  have  been  apparent  to  all  that 
he  had  no  experience  at  all,  whilst  they  had  been  doing 
nothing  but  hunt  for  thirty  or  forty  years.  Yet  neither 
they  nor  any  other  listener  would  ever  say,  "Shut  up, 
you  young  fool,"  or  words  to  that  effect. 

Perhaps  one  of  a  group  of  porters  will  make  a  buzzing 
or  some  other  irritating  sound,  and  continue  for  hours 
amusing  himself  by  keeping  it  up  after  everybody  else 
has  turned  in.  Never  does  anybody  say,  "chuck  it" 
or  "stow  it."  They  often  get  very  angry  with  each 
other  over  very  trivial  matters,  and  then  there  is  nothing 
rude  they  do  not  think  of  saying  to  each  other,  but 
such  matters  as  described  above  do  not  seem  to  annoy 
them. 


222     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Practically  everywhere  I  have  travelled  in  tropical 
Africa,  I  have  noticed  a  very  crude  but  distinct  kind  of 
courtesy  exercised  towards  the  white  man.  Never  is 
one  molested  by  a  crowd  of  urchins  in  one's  camp. 
Now  and  then,  a  few  small  boys  come  and  get  in  the 
way  and  gape  at  the  camping  arrangements,  but  if  this 
is  the  case,  an  older  man  invariably  comes  forward  and 
drives  them  away.  Although  always  begging  and  ask- 
ing for  presents,  they  are  in  their  way  very  hospitable 
people. 

Once  I  was  crossing  the  Minikazi,  one  of  the  numer- 
ous rivers  that  flow  into  the  Bangweolo.  The  chief  of 
the  village  on  the  opposite  bank  was  engaged  in  ferry- 
ing his  canoe  backwards  and  forwards  with  my  loads. 
After  everything  had  crossed,  I  was  ferried  over  and 
landed  in  the  village,  the  poorest  looking  village  I  had 
ever  set  eyes  on.  The  few  hovels  consisted  of  some 
poles  with  a  little  grass  thrown  over  the  top. 

I  produced  some  calico  with  which  to  pay  the  chief 
for  his  services,  but  he  waived  it  aside,  dashed  into  the 
village,  and  threw  himself  head  foremost  into  one  of 
the  hovels,  and  a  miserable  specimen  of  a  chicken 
hopped  out  through  one  of  the  many  holes  in  the 
dwelling.  It  was  finally  caught,  and  the  chief  ran 
back  and,  throwing  himself  on  the  ground,  presented 
the  anaemic  fowl  to  me.  The  laws  of  hospitality 
demanded  that  he  should  first  make  a  present  to  the 
stranger  before  accepting  my  calico. 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  223 

Very  useful  does  the  traveller  find  this  almost  univer- 
sal law  as,  on  arrival  in  a  new  village,  he  is  practically 
certain  of  a  chicken  at  least.  In  many  places  it  may 
take  him  a  couple  of  days'  bargaining  before  he  can 
buy  another,  or  he  may  find  it  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  anything  else,  but  the  first  present  is  always 
forthcoming,  however  poor  the  people  or  however 
much  they  hate  parting  with  their  livestock. 

In  Uganda  there  are  often  telephone  stations  on  the 
line  of  wire  between  two  administrative  posts.  Such 
stations  are  in  charge  of  a  Mganda  clerk,  a  title  which 
is  sometimes  a  courtesy  one,  when  he  can  neither 
read  nor  write. 

I  stopped  at  one  of  these  stations  on  the  march 
once,  as  I  was  desirous  of  sending  a  message,  but  it 
was  too  late  in  the  day  to  be  heard.  Owing  to  the 
sun  or  some  cause  or  other,  messages  are  only  audible 
in  the  early  morning  or  late  evening.  The  "clerk" 
could  talk  Swahili  to  a  certain  extent,  and  so  I  asked 
him  if  he  could  deliver  a  message  for  me  that  evening, 
as  I  wanted  to  trek  on.  He  cheerfully  assented,  but 
as  he  was  certain  to  forget  or  mix  up  the  message,  I 
thought  it  would  be  better  to  write  it  down  for  him. 
I  asked  if  he  could  read  and  he  said,  "Oh,  yes." 

"What  language  can  you  read?" 

"Oh,  any  language." 

"If  I  write  in  Swahili,  will  you  be  able  to  read  it?" 

"Oh,  yes." 


224     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

"Shall  I  write  in  Arabic  characters  or  English?" 

"Oh,  it  is  all  the  same." 

"You  can  read  Swahili?" 

"Yes." 

So  I  wrote  out  my  message  in  Swahili,  and  he  looked 
at  it  and  said  that  it  was  not  the  writing  he  was  accus- 
tomed to.  I  then  wrote  out  the  same  message  in 
Roman  characters,  but  still  he  could  not  read  it.  It 
was  not  the  writing  he  knew. 

"Well, what  sort  of  writing  do  you  know?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  just  writing." 

"  Can  you  show  me  the  sort  ?" 

He  opened  a  box  and  produced  a  copy-book.  The 
cover  was  adorned  with  what  looked  like  endless  w's. 
I  opened  it  at  the  first  page.  It  was  ruled  paper, 
and  on  every  line  was  an  endless  w  or  series  of  w's 
joined  to  each  other,  stretching  from  end  to  end  of 
each  line. 

I  turned  over  the  pages  of  this  interesting  Ms. 
Every  page  was  the  same  one  long  succession  of  never- 
ending  w's.     This,  he  said,  was  the  writing  he  knew. 

It  struck  me  that  perhaps  it  was  some  wonderful 
new  adaptation  of  the  Morse  code;  but  no,  they 
were  all  as  alike  as  two  pins.  He  had  occupied,  I 
presume,  the  long  hours  between  a  possible  morning 
call  and  an  unlikely  evening  call  in  the  compilation 
of  this  document.  He  firmly  believed  that  he  had 
taught  himself  to  write. 


THE  HAPPY  BANTU  225 

With  this  example  of  his  optimism,  I  will  leave  the 
Happy  African.  I  am  afraid  that  I  have  painted  his 
faults  rather  than  his  virtues,  but  I  am  none  the  less 
very  fond  of  him.  In  spite  of  his  obvious  defects, 
I  would  not  exchange  him  for  any  other  native  I  know 
of  to  live  with  imder  similar  conditions. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

CUiaOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS 

In  1908,  whilst  elephant  huntmg  with  Captain 
Hart  in  Uganda,  we  wounded  a  big  bull  on  the  Kafu 
River.  We  followed  it  the  rest  of  the  day  without 
success,  although  we  saw  it  once  ahead  from  the  top 
of  an  ant-hUl.  It  was  then  decided  that  I  should  go 
after  the  wounded  one  next  day,  whilst  Hart  went 
off  after  fresh  khohar. 

I  settled  on  a  village  ahead,  in  the  direction  in  which 
the  elephant  had  gone,  and  told  my  half  of  the  camp 
to  proceed  there.  We  followed  the  spoor,  passed  this 
village,  and  later  on  passed  another,  so  I  sent  a  man 
back  to  tell  them  to  come  on  and  camp  there.  I 
followed  the  spoor  till  the  afternoon,  and  it  was  then 
older  than  when  we  had  started. 

The  natives  with  me  tried  to  persuade  me  to  return, 
as  it  was  obviously  useless  following  any  more;  but 
I  insisted  upon  going  on.  The  reason  for  this  was  that 
I  had  dreamed  about  elephant  the  night  before,  and 
always  regard  that  as  a  favourable  omen.  My  dream 
was  that  I  shot  some  elephants  whilst  hunting  in  the 
Aberdare  Range,  and   after   the   tusks  had  been  cut 

out  and  brought  into  camp,  they  were  laid  out  for  my 

226 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  227 

inspection.  They  lay  in  pairs  of  different  sizes,  but 
what  puzzled  me  was  one  odd  tusk  amongst  them, 
a  long,  thin  tusk  without  a  fellow. 

We  followed  on  the  old  spoor  till  about  an  hour 
before  sundo^vn,  when  we  came  on  a  mud-hole  and 
a  lot  of  perfectly  fresh  spoor.  As  it  was  so  late  there 
was  no  time  to  hunt  cautiously,  so  I  rushed  off  down 
the  spoor,  through  thick  bush  country,  till  I  suddenly 
heard  elephant  just  in  front.  A  moment  later,  the 
bush  ended  and  gave  place  to  a  large  open  grassy 
space  and  just  below  me  in  a  dip  were  a  few  elephant. 
As  there  was  no  time  to  lose  before  sunset,  I  hurried 
across  this  open  space,  when  I  heard  a  noise  behind  and, 
looking  round,  saw  three  bulls  come  out  of  the  bush 
I  had  left  and  walk  leisurely  across  to  join  the  others. 

I  was  just  about  to  move  on  again  to  the  party 
whom  I  now  saw  were  having  a  mud  bath,  when 
three  more  bulls  came  out  of  the  bush,  and  then  others, 
two  or  three  at  a  time,  emerged  and  marched  across  in 
stately  procession  until  twenty-five  bulls  had  collected 
at  the  mud  bath. 

The  last  of  the  procession  was  an  elephant  who  at 
first  sight  appeared  to  have  no  tusks.  He  had  his 
left  side  towards  me,  so  his  right  tusk  was  out  of  sight. 
As  he  walked  and  his  trunk  swung  forward,  I  saw  Jiis 
left  tusk  which  was  straight,  long,  and  thin.  It  went 
straight  downwards  from  his  jaw,  like  the  tooth  of 
a  walrus,  and  being  discoloured  with  earth  it  was  not 


228     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

noticeable  against  the  background  of  trunk.  When 
the  trunk  swung  forward,  it  could  be  clearly  seen. 

It  was  the  long  thin  tusk  of  my  dream.  However, 
as  it  was  discoloured  and  malformed,  I  thought  that 
it  might  be  also  diseased,  so  I  resolved  not  to  shoot 
it,  although  it  looked  the  longest  tusk  present. 

When  all  had  collected  at  the  mud-hole,  I  got  nearer 
and  began  trying  to  decide  which  was  the  most  shoot- 
able  tusk,  always  a  difhcult  task  when  there  are  many 
elephant,  as  one  only  sees  a  tusk  or  two  at  a  time, 
and  so  one  cannot  compare  them  but  must  remember 
them.  In  this  case,  there  appeared  to  be  no  really 
big  male,  and  at  last  I  decided  on  one  with  thick  tusks 
and  fired. 

At  my  shot  the  whole  herd  turned  and  galloped 
back  in  a  solid  bunch,  all  jostling  each  other.  It  was 
not  till  they  had  passed  close  by  that  another  shot 
offered  at  the  big  one.  I  took  a  rapid  shot  at  him  and 
then  jumped  on  an  ant-hill  to  see  better  as  they  dis- 
appeared. Out  of  all  that  herd  only  one  offered  the 
chance  of  a  last  shot  and  that  was  the  deformed  tusker. 
However,  now  I  saw  the  right  tusk.  It  looked  im- 
mensely long  and  was  not,  moreover,  deformed  like  the 
other,  but  had  a  natural  curve,  although  much  less  than 
the  average  tusk. 

I  decided  to  risk  it  and  let  drive  with  my  mann- 
licher  and  over  he  toppled.  It  was  now  sunset  and 
we  were  many  hours  from  camp,  so  it  was  impossible 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  229 

to  follow  up  the  wounded  one,  but  he  was  found  dead 
afterwards,  the  only  elephant  I  have  ever  recovered 
which  I  have  not  myself  followed  till  I  finished  or 
found  him. 

We  then  went  to  the  fallen  elephant.  My  water- 
bottle,  field-glasses,  etc.,  were  hung  on  a  branch  of  a 
tree  close  by,  whilst  I  examined  the  elephant  and  cut 
off  his  tail.  I  have  given  a  description  of  him  in  my 
"Game  of  East  Africa." 

After  having  taken  the  measurements  I  wanted, 
I  began  to  think  that  it  was  time  to  get  onto  a  path 
before  night  fell,  so  turned  to  my  tracker,  who  had 
been  waiting  for  me,  and  said,  "Come  along."  He 
turned  to  a  couple  of  local  natives  who  had  accom- 
panied us  and  said,  "Come  along.  The  white  man 
wants  to  go."  But  no  one  stirred,  so  I  said  somewhat 
impatiently,  "Come  along,"  again.     Still  no  one  came. 

I  had  been  going  the  whole  day  and  food  and  shelter 
were  stiU  many  hours  away,  if  we  could  reach  it  that 
night,  and,  as  is  often  the  case  when  tired  and  hungry, 
I  was  very  irritable.  I  cursed  the  tracker  and  told 
him  to  get  my  water-bottle  and  glasses  at  once.  He 
turned  round  and  cursed  the  two  local  natives  and 
told  them  to  get  the  water-bottle  and  field-glasses  at 
once,  but  they  only  uttered  murmurs  of  dissent. 

I  could  not  make  out  what  had  suddenly  possessed 
everybody,  and  then  I  noticed  that  they  were  eyeing 
the    equipment    hung    on    the    tree    apprehensively. 


230     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Perhaps  it  was  a  sacred  tree  or  one  possessed  of  a  devil. 
Anyhow,  I  could  not  be  bored  to  wait,  so  I  walked  up 
to  the  tree,  and  the  tracker  then  caught  hold  of  me  to 
pull  me  back  and  condescended  to  explain. 

Whilst  I  had  been  measuring  the  elephant,  a  snake 
had  crawled  up  and  ensconced  himself  comfortably 
amongst  the  accoutrements  and  now  remained  in 
possession.  "Is  that  all,  you  watery  heart?"  I  said 
to  the  tracker,  taking  his  long  spear  and  dislodging  the 
intruder.  They  then  took  up  my  belongings  and  we 
started  our  weary  trek  back,  getting  into  camp  at 
12.30  A.M. 

In  British  East  Africa  I  was  camped  just  above 
the  Ruero,  at  a  place  where  there  were  reeds  at  the 
edge  of  the  stream.  A  lion  was  heard  during  the  night, 
and  in  the  morning  some  of  the  men  came  to  tell  me 
that  there  was  a  fierce  beast  in  the  reeds  just  below 
my  camp,  and  that  they  were  not  able  to  draw  water, 
as  it  growled  at  them  whenever  they  came  near. 
"What  sort  of  a  beast  is  it?"  I  asked.  They  were 
not  certain  but,  anyhow,  it  was  very  savage,  and  "  if 
it  missed  being  a  lion,  perhaps  it  was  a  leopard." 

A  very  savage  beast,  indeed,  I  thought,  if  it  had  not 
been  scared  away  by  aU  the  vociferations  of  my  noisy 
porters  and  if  it  was  prepared  to  do  battle  to  every- 
body who  wanted  water.  Perhaps  it  was  a  lioness 
with  cubs.  Nasty  thick  reeds  and  an  unknown  animal 
out  for  blood,  —  it  was  with  some  trepidation  that  I 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  231 

made  my  preparations  to  take  on  this  formidable 
opponent. 

Before  I  could  reach  the  spot,  however,  fresh  news 
came  in.  The  fierce  beast  had  been  seen  and  found 
to  be  one  of  the  porters'  boys  who  had  run  away,  owing 
to  some  grievance,  and  hidden  himself  in  the  reeds, 
growling  at  everybody  who  came  near. 

In  1906,  I  was  taking  a  quiet  stroll  with  a  friend 
one  evening  in  Ngong  forest  near  Nairobi.  He  went 
off,  I  think,  after  a  bushbuck,  leaving  me  in  an  open 
glade  where  he  was  to  return  for  me.  I  was  kneeling 
down  drinking  at  a  pool  about  5.30  p.m.,  when  I  heard 
a  slight  noise  and,  looking  up,  saw  something  black 
pass  along  the  opposite  edge  of  the  clearing  and  enter 
some  bushes.  I  approached  quietly  to  fifty  yards  of 
the  spot  at  which  it  had  entered  and,  by  the  movement 
of  the  bushes,  saw  that  it  was  still  there.  I  waited 
and  two  extraordinary  pigs  came  out  of  the  bushes 
and  walked  several  yards  in  the  open,  and  then  dis- 
appeared into  some  other  bushes  where  I  heard  them 
routing  about  in  pighke  fashion. 

I  was  not  able  to  see  them  again,  nor  did  I  ever  see 
them  afterwards,  although  I  visited  the  spot  and  other 
glades  round  many  times  afterwards.  However,  I 
had  a  very  clear  view  of  them  when  they  passed  in  the 
open,  as  they  were  not  more  than  fifty  yards  distant, 
and  I  wrote  down  my  impressions  within  an  hour 
or   two. 


232     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

They  were  considerably  smaller  than  adults  of 
either  wart  hog  or  bush  pig.  No  tusks  were  visible 
and  they  were  true  pigs  in  the  shape  of  the  head  and 
body  and  not  in  any  way  like  wart  hogs.  The  body 
was  a  deep  black  and  the  face  bright  white.  The 
chief  point  noticeable  was  this  dead  white  of  the  face. 
I  have  never  heard  of  any  such  pig  being  seen  in  Africa. 
If  they  were  a  new  kind,  some  one  else  would  have 
been  sure  to  have  observed  them  in  a  spot  so  near 
Nairobi.  The  only  conjecture  I  can  form  about  them 
is  that  they  were  some  domestic  pig  run  wild,  but 
then  they  would  have  become  an  easy  prey  to  leopard, 
which  abound  in  the  forest ;  perhaps  they  were  some 
freak  bush  pigs. 

I  was  returning  to  a  camp  on  the  Ndurugu  in  the 
dusk  when  I  came  close  up  to  a  kongoni.  As  lions 
were  then  roaring  from  several  directions,  I  thought 
of  shooting  him  for  bait.  I  fired  but  hit  him  too 
far  back.  He  stumbled  and  then  went  off  and  I  ran 
after  him  till  he  came  to  a  tree  round  which  he  cantered 
in  a  stately  way  like  a  circus  horse,  giving  me  time 
to  come  up  to  him.  As  I  could  not  see  my  sights  well, 
owing  to  the  bad  light,  I  came  up  quite  close  to  him. 
He  must  then  have  described  as  many  as  six  circles 
round  the  tree,  the  last  only  a  few  yards  distant  from 
it.  I  fired  at  him  as  he  was  making  this  last  circle  and 
he  immediately  left  the  tree  and  came  straight  towards 
me,  when  a  bullet  in  the  chest  knocked  him  over. 


A  Young  Ostrich 


>  'i^Mt-.^''^'^^^'ki>ui^^''^-^-"  -'-^-^^ 


KOROLI 

Showing  the  shadeless  flats  of  the  Rudolph  country. 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  233 

I  have  known  a  wart  hog  when  wounded  to  tear  round 
in  circles,  but  in  that  case  it  was  hit  in  the  head  and 
no  doubt  the  brain  was  affected. 

I  was  returning  to  camp  in  the  southern  game  reserve, 
British  East  Africa,  after  having  been  out  sketching, 
and  came  on  a  female  kongoni  who  performed  similar 
manoeuvres,  but  in  this  case  it  must  have  been  stone 
blind.  It  was  standing  almost  in  my  path,  apparently 
looking  at  me,  or  at  any  rate  in  my  direction.  As  we 
got  closer  and  closer  I  began  to  wonder  how  close  it 
was  going  to  let  me  get. 

When  I  was  about  fifteen  yards  from  it,  it  started 
off,  perhaps  having  heard  me  or  my  porters.  How- 
ever, instead  of  going  straight  away  it  described  a 
circle  of  perhaps  twenty-five  or  thirty  yards'  radius 
and  came  back  towards  where  I  was  standing  and 
seemed  as  if  it  would  run  me  down.  Although  it  was 
in  the  game  reserve,  I  did  not  feel  inclined  to  meet 
with  the  unromantic  end  of  being  run  down  by  a  harte- 
beest,  and  so  swung  up  my  rifle.  It  must  have  heard 
the  movement  or  got  my  wind  at  this  moment,  as  it 
swerved  away  and  then  described  another  circle,  re- 
turning to  the  same  spot.  It  repeated  this  manoeuvre 
three  times  and  each  time  it  got  to  within  about  six 
yards  I  swung  up  my  rifle  and  it  swerved  away.  It 
then  made  more  furious  efforts  than  ever  to  get  away 
and  gaUoped  faster  and  in  ever-decreasing  circles  till 
at  last  it  was  pirouetting  like  a  vedette's  horse  when 


234     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

an  enemy  is  sighted.  This  made  it  so  giddy  that  it 
staggered  about  for  a  little  and  then  resumed  larger 
circles,  and  I  left  it  like  that,  stiU  galloping  round  and 
round.  I  thought  at  the  time  what  a  very  soft  thing 
it  would  be  for  a  lion  to  find. 

Next  morning,  shortly  after  dawn,  I  saw  a  lioness 
coming  from  the  direction  in  which  I  had  last  seen  the 
kongoni;  it  was  so  full  that  its  stomach  was  dragging 
along  the  ground.  I  watched  her  join  four  others,  two 
lion  and  two  lioness.  I  also  saw  two  hyaena  come 
from  the  same  direction. 

On  some  occasions  animals  appear  to  be  absolutely 
blind  and  deaf  for  the  time  being.  I  have  generally 
found  wart  hog  fairly  difficult  to  approach  in  the  open 
plains.  I  was  once  sketching  on  the  top  of  a  little 
kopje  on  the  Athi  plains  and  whilst  so  engaged  observed 
a  wart  sow  and  young  one  engaged  in  grubbing  on  the 
plain  below.  Having  finished  my  work,  I  packed  up 
my  things  and  started  down  the  side  of  the  hill  and 
across  the  plain  towards  camp,  followed  by  a  porter  or 
two  carrying  my  plane  table  and  instruments.  Our 
way  took  us  almost  directly  past  the  place  in  which  the 
wart  hogs  were  grubbing.  They  showed  no  concern 
whatever  at  our  approach,  although  the  plain  was  per- 
fectly open  and  there  was  not  a  vestige  of  cover. 

When  we  got  level  with  them,  they  were  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  distant,  and  they  were  still 
merrily  grubbing  away.     I  took  out  my  camera  and 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  235 

thought  I  would  see  just  how  near  they  would  let  me 
get.  When  I  got  to  a  hundred  yards,  I  said  to  myself, 
''  It  is  unlikely  that  they  will  let  me  get  any  nearer  than 
this,  so  I  will  just  take  a  snapshot  now,"  which  I  did. 

I  then  approached  another  twenty  yards  and  said  the 
same  thing  to  myself  again  and  took  another  photo. 

I  then  walked  slowly  towards  them  another  twenty 
yards  and  said,  "It  is  quite  impossible  that  they  will 
let  me  get  any  nearer,  so  I  will  just  take  another 
photo  from  here,"  which  I  did. 

I  then  walked  up  to  about  forty  yards  and  said  the 
same  thing  again  and  took  another  photo.  After 
that  I  slowly  approached  another  twenty  yards  and 
this  time  I  had  nothing  to  say  to  myself,  so  I  just 
took  another  photo,  and  then  began  approaching 
very  gingerly  for  I  was  so  close  I  was  afraid  that  they 
might  run  into  me  by  accident. 

When  I  was  about  fifteen  yards  distant,  the  young 
one  trotted  across  me  and  I  think  got  my  wind. 
Anyhow  it  gave  the  alarm  and  they  both  scuttled 
off  about  twenty  yards  and  then  turned  round  and 
stared  at  me  and  finally  made  off.  They  were  both, 
as  far  as  I  could  see,  in  full  possession  of  their  senses 
and,  according  to  the  custom  of  animals  feeding,  they 
had  often  stopped  work  to  look  round  for  foes  and 
had  several  times  looked  straight  in  my  direction. 

One  day  I  was  just  entering  on  the  long  causeway  by 
which  the  Fort  Hall  Road  crosses  the  Thiririka  swamp 


236     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

in  British  East  Africa,  when  I  saw  four  wart  hog  trot 
down  the  road  on  the  opposite  bank  and  enter  on  the 
causeway.  I  afterwards  gathered  that  they  had  been 
disturbed  by  some  passing  natives  and  were  trotting 
away  from  them. 

I  lay  down  in  the  middle  of  the  road  and  they  came 
trotting  down  the  centre,  till  they  were  only  a  few  yards 
distant,  and  I  fired  at  the  leading  one.  The  other  three 
immediately  jumped  off  the  causeway  into  the  swamp, 
but  the  wounded  one  rushed  straight  towards  me  and 
it  was  only  when  I  jabbed  my  rifle  muzzle  at  him  to 
keep  him  off,  that  he  swerved  to  one  side  and  passed  me, 
dropping  dead  behind  me. 

In  this  case  I  was  a  stationary  object  and  it  is  easy 
to  believe  that  the  animal  did  not  see  me  until  I  prodded 
my  rifle  muzzle  at  him.  In  fact  I  have  often  had 
animals  walk  up  to  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  when  I  have 
been  standing  or  sitting  motionless,  even  though  in  full 
view.  In  the  former  case,  however,  I  was  a  moving 
object  and,  moreover,  moving  over  a  perfectly  flat,  open 
plain,  and  so  a  most  conspicuous  object. 

I  have  never  heard  of  a  case  of  a  man  being  mauled 
by  a  wart  hog,  although  I  have  been  told  of  him  ripping 
up  the  pony  of  a  pigsticker.  He  does  not  appear  to  be 
nearly  so  plucky  as  the  Indian  boar;  however,  he  could 
be  just  as  dangerous  if  he  chose  and  so  I  do  not  care  to 
give  him  the  chance.  When  he  gets  within  a  few  yards, 
I  think  it  is  about  time  to  give  him  a  shot,  although  I 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  237 

have  no  proof  that  his  intentions  are  not  of  the  most 
friendly. 

Once  after  shooting  a  wildebeest,  I  left  my  men  to 
cut  up  the  carcass  and  went  off  in  search  of  a  shady 
tree.  I  found  one  some  hundred  yards  away  and  sat 
down  under  it.  I  had  not  been  there  very  long,  before 
I  saw  a  big  wart  hog  with  fine  tusks  approaching.  As 
he  came  nearer  it  became  more  and  more  evident  that 
he  also  had  selected  this  tree  as  a  suitable  place  for  a 
siesta. 

I  should  like  to  be  one  of  those  very  cold-blooded 
people  who  could  wait,  and  see  how  long  it  would  have 
been  before  he  discovered  me,  and  what  he  would  do. 
Would  he  have  lain  down  beside  me  or  mistaken  me  for 
a  tree  and  grubbed  under  me?  In  any  case,  there 
would  have  been  little  danger  as,  directly  he  smelt  me, 
he  would  in  aU  probability  have  turned  and  made 
off. 

However,  his  tusks  looked  so  long  and  gleaming  and 
sharp  that  when  he  got  to  twenty  yards  I  could  wait  no 
longer  but  fired  into  his  chest.  He  turned  and  ran  a 
distance  I  afterwards  paced  to  be  within  a  yard  or  two 
of  two  hundred.  I  found  him  lying  hit  through  the 
heart  with  the  blood  spurting  out  in  a  jet,  an  instance 
of  how  the  heart  shot  is  not  always  instantaneous. 

A  day  or  two  from  Nyeri  station  British  East  Africa 
there  is  a  hill  famous  for  the  number  and  irritability  of 
its  rhino.     I  was  sketching  there  and  in  between  times 


238     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

pottering  about  its  bush-covered  slopes.  I  found  it  a 
pleasant  spot  in  which  to  stroll  about  and  observe  the 
animal  life,  as  the  thick  clumps  and  patches  of  bush 
gave  it  all  the  difficulties  and  advantages  of  a  bush 
country,  as  regards  the  game,  whilst  the  spaces  between 
the  clumps  were,  as  a  rule,  so  open  that  there  was  little 
of  that  stooping,  crawling,  and  pushing  through  obstruct- 
ing branches  which  makes  hunting  in  the  thick  bush  so 
tiring. 

Whilst  silently  manoeuvring  in  this  country  one  day, 
I  suddenly  came  face  to  face  with  a  great  pig  twice  the 
height  of  the  ordinary  bush  pig.  I  watched  him  move 
with  head  held  low,  snif&ng  the  ground,  till  he  dis- 
appeared in  a  clump  of  bushes  and  only  then  realised 
that  this  was  the  giant  forest  pig  I  had  been  so  anxious 
to  become  acquainted  with.  I  searched  round  quietly 
and  carefully  but  he  did  not  let  me  get  another  glimpse 
at  him. 

Whilst  on  that  high,  broad  back  of  the  Aberdare 
Range  called  "the  Moors,"  something  moving  in  a 
bottom  near  me  caught  my  attention.  On  looking 
through  my  glasses  I  saw  that  it  was  a  cat,  but  in  colour 
it  was  jet  black.  I  could  not  get  a  shot  at  it,  and  so 
was  left  in  uncertainty  as  to  what  it  really  was.  How- 
ever, I  heard  later  that  a  black  Serval  had  been  obtained 
in  that  locality,  and  so  I  have  little  doubt  now  that  this 
also  was  a  case  of  melanism  in  a  Serval,  possibly  even 
the  same  specimen  that  was  afterwards  obtained. 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  239 

The  first  ostrich  egg  I  ever  found  was  a  solitary  one, 
lying  out  in  the  open  in  the  full  glare  of  the  sun's  rays. 
I  believe  a  solitary  egg  like  this  is  often  dropped  before 
the  hen  has  decided  on  where  to  make  her  nest. 
However,  I  thought  that  this  was  the  beginning  of 
what  was  going  to  be  a  nest,  the  first  egg  of  a  clutch 
and,  therefore,  quite  fresh. 

I  religiously  ate  that  egg  in  omelets  for  three  days; 
teUing  myself  how  lucky  I  was  to  be  able  to  get  such  a 
luxury  far  from  any  habitation.  It  had  a  most  unpleas- 
ant and  strong  taste,  which  I  put  down  to  being  the 
natural  flavour,  without  which  no  ostrich  egg  would  be 
complete.  I  now  know  that  that  egg  was  really  bad 
and  I  fear  to  think  how  long  it  had  been  lying  in  the 
sun  before  I  found  it. 

On  another  occasion,  I  found  a  similar  lonely  egg 
l5dng  in  the  open.  I  decided  to  take  it  in  to  some 
friends  who  kept  an  incubator  for  ostrich  eggs. 
Unfortunately,  however,  it  exploded  with  a  loud  report 
in  my  box  on  the  homeward  trek. 

Whilst  hunting  in  North  Eastern  Rhodesia  one  day, 
I  wounded  a  reedbuck,  out  of  a  party  of  two  males  and 
some  females.  I  pursued  it  but  could  not  get  within 
shooting  distance  again  and  it  was  as  good  as  lost,  as 
once  wounded  and  on  the  alert,  it  was  not  likely  to  give 
me  a  chance  again  of  getting  near.  I  sat  down  and 
watched  it  crossing  a  wide  "Dambo"  or  open  grassy 
flat,  deciding  to  let  it  go  off  and  follow  it  up  an  hour  or 


240     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

so  later  in  the  hopes  of  surprising  it  lying  down  in  the 
grass. 

When  it  reached  the  other  side,  perhaps  five  hundred 
to  one  thousand  yards  distant,  it  joined  the  party. 
The  other  buck,  a  younger  one,  looked  at  it  and 
evidently  noticing  that  it  did  not  look  quite  up  to  the 
mark,  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  take  over  the 
females.  Accordingly,  he  set  on  him  furiously,  whilst 
the  wounded  buck  stood  up  to  him  courageously. 

The  females  went  off  leaving  the  two  fighting  vi- 
ciously and  I,  seeing  my  chance,  started  running 
towards  them.  Presently,  the  young  buck  got  the 
other  down  on  his  knees,  and  they  went  round  and 
round  in  that  position,  the  wounded  one  always  facing 
his  adversary.  At  last  the  young  one  got  him  prone 
on  the  ground  and  commenced  goring  him  viciously. 
So  busily  engaged  were  they,  that  they  did  not  notice 
my  approach  until  I  was  about  a  few  yards  distant. 
I  arrived  just  in  time  to  "save  the  wounded  one's  life" 
by  driving  away  his  adversary  and  shooting  him 
myself.  Even  then  the  lust  of  battle  was  so  strong 
that  the  young  one  was  loath  to  leave  his  victim, 
and  stood  watching  from  thirty  or  forty  yards  distant 
for  a  short  time,  affording  me  ample  time  to  have  shot 
him  also,  had  I  so  wished. 

A  bushbuck  is  a  plucky  little  animal  and  if  badly 
wounded  and  cornered  will  often  put  up  quite  a  good 
fight.     Whilst    sketching    on    the    Ithanga    Hills,    I 


CURIOUS  HUNTING  INCIDENTS  241 

wounded  a  bushbuck  badly  and  it  retired  into  some 
thick  bush.  I  followed  with  a  native  and  found  it 
unable  to  get  away.  For  some  reason  or  other,  I  was 
un\\alling  to  expend  another  cartridge  on  it,  as  I  was 
sketching  perhaps  I  had  not  one;  anyhow,  we  tried  to 
collar  it  and  it  made  vicious  little  charges  first  at  me 
and  then  at  the  native,  so  that  we  had  to  take  refuge 
behind  trees. 

Very  ridiculous  we  must  have  looked,  each  peering 
out  in  consternation  from  behind  one  of  two  tree  trunks 
about  six  feet  apart  and  the  bushbuck  between  us  making 
up  his  mind  whom  he  would  go  for  next.  Finally  he  de- 
cided on  me,  and  as  he  rushed  at  me  the  native  skilfully 
leaned  out  from  his  tree  and  caught  him  by  a  hind  leg. 
He  turned  to  go  for  the  native  and  this  gave  me  my 
opportunity  and  I  seized  his  horns  and  threw  him  over. 

On  another  occasion,  I  followed  up  a  wounded  bush- 
buck and  came  on  him  suddenly  on  the  side  of  a  steep 
hiU.  He  sprang  up  to  go  off  up  the  hiU,  and  I  put  a 
shot  into  his  hindquarters,  at  which  he  turned  round 
and  came  half-rushing,  half-stumbling  down  the  hill 
and  tripped  me  up.  In  this  case  the  animal  hardly 
knew  what  it  was  doing,  and  being  badly  wounded, 
probably  decided  that  it  would  be  easier  to  reach  cover 
down  than  up  hiU. 


CHAPTER  XV 

TWO   SHORT  TREKS  AND   TWO  AFRICAN  CHIEFS 

In  1907  I  was  sketching  for  the  East  African  Survey. 
I  found  it  necessary  to  climb  the  high  peak  of  Nguzeru, 
or  Kinangop,  to  continue  my  work.  The  only  people 
who  know  these  mountains  are  a  few  Kikuyu,  who  make 
a  profession  of  hunting  for  honey  and  bringing  it  for 
sale  or  exchange  to  the  villages  on  the  eastern  side. 

I  was  fortunate  in  coming  across  two  of  these  in  the 
forest,  whilst  camped  under  the  western  side,  and 
obtaining  their  services  as  guides.  They  knew  the 
lower  slopes  well  but  their  knowledge  did  not  extend 
higher  than  the  forest  level,  perhaps  ten  thousand  feet, 
as  their  work  did  not  take  them  to  the  bare  upper 
slopes.  A  native  is  not,  as  a  rule,  inquisitive  or 
enterprising;  he  is  only  driven  by  necessity  and  only 
does  those  things  he  is  forced  to  do  by  circumstances, 
or  notices  those  things  that  come  into  direct  contact 
with  him. 

As  an  example  of  what  I  mean,  I  have  been  unable 
to  hear  of  any  native,  amongst  the  crowded  villages  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Kenya,  who  has  been  any  appreciable 
distance  up  the  mountain.  There  is  a  range  of  moun- 
tains near  Nimule  only  five  to  six  thousand  feet  high. 

242 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  243 

There  are  many  people  living  close  to  the  mountain  on 
one  side,  but  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  find 
one  who  has  been  to  the  top,  or  knows  of  any  one 
who  has.  Of  all  the  many  thousands  of  insects  which 
abound  in  tropical  Africa,  perhaps  only  a  dozen  or  less 
have  native  names  in  any  one  part.  These  will  be 
foxmd  to  be  flies  that  bite  the  native  or  his  cattle  or 
sting  him  or  provide  him  with  honey.  With  the 
others,  he  has  no  concern. 

My  guides  showed  me  an  elephant  path,  called  the 
Njira  Wanjohi,  which  crossed  a  high  pass  and  led  to  the 
villages  on  the  other  side  of  the  hill.  It  was  used  by  the 
honey  hunters  of  Wanjohi  to  reach  this  side  of  the  hill. 

As  we  walked  along  the  narrow,  winding  path,  often 
obstructed  by  fallen  bamboos,  it  struck  me  how 
extremely  awkward  it  would  be  suddenly  to  round  a 
corner  and  come  face  to  face  with  the  leader  of  a  herd 
of  elephants  coming  in  the  opposite  direction.  For 
elephant  move  very  silently,  and  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  they  are  often  very  bad-tempered.  It  would 
be  a  matter  of  great  difficulty  to  get  out  of  the  path  and 
break  into  the  thick  undergrowth  on  either  side. 

Whilst  thinking  this,  we  heard  a  slight  noise  in  front 
of  us  and  the  guide,  who  was  walking  just  in  front  of  me, 
stopped  dead.  In  another  moment  a  man  appeared 
round  a  turn  of  the  path  a  few  yards  distant,  caught 
sight  of  us,  and  also  stopped  dead.  He  and  the  guide 
looked  at  one  another  for  a  few  moments,  like  two  dogs 


244     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

who  are  not  quite  certain  if  the  other  is  going  to  fight 
or  not,  and  then  one  said  something,  the  other 
answered,  and  they  went  forward  to  meet  one  another. 
Behind  this  man  came  a  string  of  men  carrpng  the 
hollow  logs  used  as  beehives.  It  was  the  end  of  March 
and  a  new  honey  season  was  about  to  commence,  so 
they  were  preparing  for  it  by  placing  new  hives  ready. 

We  reached  a  little  col  still  to  the  west  of  the  range, 
at  the  source  of  a  stream  called  the  Turasha,  and  found  a 
spot  in  which  the  undergrowth  was  low,  and  so  cleared  a 
place  in  which  to  camp.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
rotting  vegetation  and  offered  little  hold  to  the  tent 
pegs.  At  the  base  of  a  steep  slope  was  a  spring,  and  a 
little  pool  of  clear  water,  but  just  as  I  was  stooping  to 
drink  from  it,  I  saw  that  it  was  full  of  leeches. 

Just  after  pitching  camp,  a  bitter  gale  got  up,  and  so 
I  put  on  all  the  clothes  I  could  find,  shirts,  pajamas, 
coats,  indiscriminately  one  over  the  other,  till  I  was  so 
bulky  that  I  could  get  on  nothing  more  and  then  went 
to  bed.  However,  the  wind  increased  and  I  spent  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  hammering  the  pegs  into  new 
places  as  they  became  uprooted. 

Next  day  I  sent  the  porters  on  by  the  Njira  Wanjohi 
to  search  for  a  sheltered  spot,  a  little  over  the  pass  on  the 
eastern  side,  in  which  to  camp,  whilst  I  climbed  to  the 
top  of  the  peak  to  take  observations.  The  last  two 
thousand  feet  were  bare,  that  is  to  say,  there  were 
patches  of  bare  rock,  coarse  grass  in  isolated  tufts,  a 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  245 

giant  sort  of  groundsel,  and  a  few  other  mountain  plants, 
but  no  thick  or  high  vegetation. 

At  one  place  I  found  a  long,  flat  ridge  of  rock  littered 
with  bones,  evidently  a  spot  to  which  vultures  brought 
their  prey  for  consumption,  and  from  which  they  enjoyed 
the  magnificent  panorama  of  hills,  forests,  and  beyond 
that  plains  spreading  out  below  them.  Elephant 
tracks  led  up  to  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  top, 
whilst  a  rhino  track  reached  practically  the  summit, 
passing  under  the  block  of  rock  which  formed  the 
actual  highest  part. 

From  the  distance,  the  mountain  seemed  to  have  a 
cairn  perched  on  the  summit.  This  in  reality  was  a 
great  block  of  rock  about  the  size  of  a  small  house. 
From  my  camp  I  had  been  able  to  see  with  glasses  that 
this  rock  was  surmounted  by  a  beacon  or  some  object 
which  looked  like  the  basket  or  brush  pole  which  I 
believe  is  sometimes  used  for  trigonometrical  work  in 
West  Africa.  This  puzzled  me,  as  I  had  never  heard  of 
any  siu^ey  party  visiting  the  top;  in  fact  I  knew  that  no 
government  survey  had  been  there,  as  I  had  been  given 
the  points  from  which  the  top  had  been  fixed. 

When  I  got  under  the  last  block  of  rock,  I  saw  that  it 
consisted  of  a  sort  of  black  iron  arrangement  with  flat 
hexagonal  sides,  shaped  rather  like  a  large  stable 
lantern.  This  was  on  the  top  of  a  pole,  and  guyed  down 
to  the  rock  with  four  bars  of  iron. 

After  going  round  the  mass  of  rock,  we  found  a  place 


246     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

to  cKmb  up  at  the  other  end.  On  reaching  the  top  of 
this  end  of  the  block,  we  were  divided  from  the  mass 
on  which  the  beacon  was,  the  actual  highest  part,  by  a 
neck  of  rock.  This  was  perhaps  wide  enough  to  allow 
of  the  passage  of  a  dog-cart,  but  the  wind  was  so  terrific 
that  I  felt  compelled  to  crawl  over  this  on  hands  and 
knees,  although  I  have  a  very  good  head  for  heights. 
Two  of  the  porters  with  me  crawled  across  flat  on 
their  stomachs,  but  the  other  two  refused  to  face  it 
at  all. 

I  then  examined  the  beacon;  the  rock  had  been 
bored  and  the  pole  and  the  attachments  for  the  guys 
had  been  cemented  into  it.  On  one  side  of  the  lantern- 
shaped  iron  box  was  a  door  opening  with  a  catch.  I 
opened  this  door  wondering  what  it  could  contain,  - —  the 
record  of  a  former  climber,  a  reward  for  the  next  climber, 
the  will  of  an  eccentric  millionnaire,  survey  instruments 
ready  to  hand,  almost  every  conceivable  idea  flitted 
across  my  mind  except  the  right  one. 

I  do  not  think  that  I  have  ever  felt  such  a  shock  of 
surprise  in  my  life.  If  ten  rattlesnakes  had  come 
rushing  out  of  the  door,  I  should  have  been  prepared  to 
meet  them,  but  what  I  actually  saw  was  a  small, 
shrine  and  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

Remember  I  had  never  heard  of  anybody  else  having 
been  to  this  summit,  and  if  one  had,  the  natural  sup- 
position was  that  it  was  an  exploring  or  mountaineering 
party  or  a  surveyor  in  the  execution  of  his  work. 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  247 

Whoever  else  in  the  world  would  take  the  trouble  to 
camp  up  m  these  cold  heights  and  the  fatigue  of  climb- 
ing this  summit  ? 

I  afterwards  found  that  it  was  the  work  of  a  mission 
in  the  Kikuyu  country.  They  had  very  kindly  left 
some  bits  of  dry  bamboo  lying  about;  perhaps  these  had 
been  used  as  ladders  to  mount  the  rock.  With  these  my 
men  made  a  fire  in  a  crevice  of  rock  at  which  to  warm 
their  hands. 

I  had  to  build  a  cairn  of  stones  around  each  leg  of  the 
theodolite  and  plane  table  to  keep  them  down.  The 
wind  was  so  violent  that  it  blew  my  alidade  off  the 
table  and  the  cold  so  great  that  I  could  only  draw 
about  one  line,  and  then  had  to  warm  my  hands  at  the 
fire  before  being  able  to  draw  another. 

Mist  was  driving  across  the  hill  and  objects  only 
appeared  at  intervals,  so  work  was  extremely  difficult. 
At  noon  the  clouds  closed  down  and  we  had  to  stop 
w^ork  and  make  for  our  new  camp,  which  we  found  was 
in  a  more  sheltered  position.  Also,  it  was  on  open  grass 
with  a  firm  hold  for  pegs  and  my  porters  had  collected 
heaps  of  firewood. 

Next  day  I  felt  like  shirking  the  climb,  the  cold,  and 
the  awful  wind.  As  so  often  happens,  when  one  is 
prepared  to  dislike  something  very  much,  it  turns  out 
much  better  than  expected.  This  day  after  I  had 
reached  the  top,  the  sun  came  out,  and  the  day  proved 
most  exceptional  for  the  time  of  year.     I  could  see  all 


248     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

the  points  I  wanted,  even  the  summit  of  Kenya. 
Although  it  was  blowing  about  four  hurricanes,  it  was 
not  so  bitter  as  the  day  before  and  I  completed  my 
work. 

The  following  day  we  went  on  down  the  side  of  the 
mountain  through  the  bamboo  forest,  and  the  day 
after  came  to  the  village  of  Karori,  a  big  Kikuyu  chief. 
The  country  just  about  this  village  was  delightful;  it 
was  at  the  edge  of  the  forest  and  consisted  of  open 
spaces  covered  with  short  grass  and  large,  shady  trees. 
A  little  farther  east  the  usual  treeless  country  of  the 
Kikuyu  started,  consisting  of  steep  red  hills  and  masses 
of  cultivation. 

Korori  was  one  of  the  most  real  chiefs  I  have  ever 
met.  In  his  village  he  wears  nothing  but  a  cloak  of 
hyrax  skins  trimmed  with  white  beads.  This  he  wore 
hanging  from  the  shoulder  usually,  but  when  cold  he 
gathered  it  round  his  naked  body.  The  skin  of  the 
hyrax  is  looked  on  as  a  chief's  perquisite  in  these  parts 
and  no  one  else  is  allowed  to  wear  it. 

He  had  three  tin-roofed  buildings  in  his  village  and 
there  was  a  Swahili  mason  then  engaged  on  the  last. 

The  latter  had  been  some  time  in  the  village  and 
confided  his  impressions  to  my  head  man.  He  said  that 
Korori  held  all  his  Kikuyu  absolutely  under  his  thumb, 
that  he  supplied  all  the  arrow-heads  used  by  the  Dorobo 
hunters  and  that  the  tusks  of  every  elephant  killed  or 
found  dead  on  the  Aberdares  were  brought  in  to  him. 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  249 

He  also  has  a  sugar-cane  press  out  of  which  he  derives 
considerable  profit. 

On  my  arrival  he  presented  me  with  a  very  fat  sheep 
formyself  anda  very  lean  one  for  myporters.  As  we  had 
nearly  come  to  an  end  of  our  rations,  I  was  anxious  to 
buy  some  more  for  my  men.  I  told  Korori  and  he 
immediately  produced  a  bag  of  beans  and  refused  to 
accept  any  payment  for  it.  After  a  long  discussion 
with  him,  he  said  that  he  could  not  accept  any  payment 
for  anything  that  was  to  go  into  my  own  stomach,  and 
if  the  beans  were  not  enough  for  the  men,  he  would 
make  arrangements  next  day  for  me  to  buy  the  food  I 
wanted  from  his  people.  He  then  brought  a  gourd  of 
honey  wine  for  me. 

It  is  seldom  that  one  can  converse  with  any  real 
interest  with  a  native,  but  I  found  Korori  most  different 
to  the  usual  savage.  He  is  half-Dorobo  and  half- 
Kikuyn.  He  said  that  the  white  men  and  the  Dorobo 
were  all  one  at  one  time,  and  then  the  Dorobo  became 
black.  He  was  very  insistent  on  this,  and  that  the 
Kikuyu  and  the  Masai  and  all  other  peoples  were  of 
different  origin,  but  that  the  white  man  and  the  Dorobo 
were  the  same  and  both  hved  by  hunting.  I  told  him 
that  this  was  in  a  way  true,  our  ancestors  were  long  ago 
Dorobo  in  that  they  lived  by  hunting.  I  then  told 
him  whatever  I  could  think  about  prehistoric  and  cave 
men,  and  how  at  first  they  had  not  invented  a  way  of 
making  iron  arrow-heads  and  so  had  to  use  stones. 


2SO     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Korori  was  most  interested,  in  that  it  proved  his  pet 
theory.  He  then  told  me  about  the  Kikuyu  Wan- 
dorobo,  and  their  ways  of  hunting  and  of  the  times 
when  he  was  young  and  himself  hunted. 

On  the  next  day  he  showed  me  over  his  house  and 
stores,  explained  how  the  Wandorobo  arrows  were 
made,  and  in  the  afternoon  came  and  drank  coffee  with 
me  and  smoked  a  cigar  just  as  if  he  had  done  it  all  his 
life.  I  promised  to  send  him  a  box  of  cheap  cigars 
from  Fort  Hall. 

The  Swahili  mason  exchanged  confidences  with  the 
head  man  again  in  the  evening  and  said  that  Korori  is  a 
very  big  and  rich  man  and  has  boxes  of  rupees  in  his 
house.  He  is  also  very  generous  and  will  frequently  give 
twenty  or  thirty  rupees  to  a  strange  native  passing  his 
village. 

Whilst  sitting  talking  to  me,  Korori  pointed  to  a 
horse-fly  busily  biting  his  bare  knee.  "If  I  were  a 
woman,"  he  said,  "I  would  drive  it  away,  but  being  a 
man  I  just  bear  it."  I  noticed,  however,  that  for 
some  time  afterwards  he  was  furtively  scratching  his 
knee  where  it  had  bitten  him. 

After  a  pleasant  stay  of  two  days,  sketching  round  his 
village,  I  paid  off  my  two  guides  and  said  good-bye 
to  Korori.  He  besought  me  to  ask  for  anything  I 
wanted  and  it  was  only  with  great  difficulty  that  I 
escaped  without  having  to  take  a  captive  vulture  he 
had  got.     He  supplied  me  with  men  as  guides  and  to 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  251 

collect  porters'  food  en  route,  and  I  set  off  for  Fort  Hall. 
The  trek  up  and  down  a  succession  of  steep,  red  hills 
covered  with  cultivation  is  so  monotonous  and  dull 
that  I  will  not  describe  it. 

In  1908 1  was  at  Lamu,  and  wishing  to  see  something 
of  the  mainland,  decided  to  make  a  little  trek,  although 
the  rains  were  on,  and  it  was  a  most  unfavourable  time, 
as  the  low  coimtry  was  flooded.  I  left  Lamu  with  two 
other  Europeans  for  Mkunumbi  on  a  mashua,  or  small 
open  dhow.  There  was  no  wind,  so  progress  was  very 
slow  and  it  rained  incessantly  the  whole  time.  We 
arrived  at  our  destination  at  sunset,  having  been  wet 
through  since  8  a.m.  The  route  was  by  winding 
channels  through  the  mangrove  swamps. 

Next  day,  leaving  the  other  two,  I  trekked  up  to  Witu; 
it  was  raining  the  whole  time  excepting  about  the  last 
hour.  At  Witu  the  Sultan  made  me  most  comfortable. 
He  has  a  two-storied,  tin-roofed  house  which  I  believe 
was  formerly  inhabited  by  the  commissioner  after  Witu 
was  taken  over.  I  mention  this  because  it  is  most 
unusual  to  find  a  European-  or  Arab-built  house  in  an 
inland  village.  As  a  rule,  even  the  biggest  chief  lives 
in  a  mud  hut  like  anybody  else,  although  perhaps  a 
little  larger  than  the  average. 

The  Sultan  of  Witu  is  an  old  soldier,  and  like  Korori 
a  most  enHghtened  man.  In  his  case,  however,  he 
has  seen  much  of  Europeans  and  their  ways,  whilst 


252     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Korori  seems  to  have  developed  his  advanced  ideas  by 
himself. 

He  owns  a  large  cocoanut  plantation  and  is  very  well 
to  do,  chiefly  on  the  proceeds,  and  he  keeps  his  people 
well  in  hand.  The  population  round  Witu  is  very 
mixed.  It  consists  for  the  most  part  of  Watoro  or 
runaway  slaves.  These  people  seem  to  have  now 
formed  a  sort  of  type  of  their  own,  though  originally 
they  must  have  been  drawn  from  the  most  varied  ele- 
ments, Yaos,  Atonga,  Makoa,  Giriyama,  Pakomo,  and 
many  others.  These  slaves  escaped  from  their  masters 
at  the  coast  or  island  towns,  prior  to  our  occupation, 
and  made  colonies  in  the  bush .  Various  expeditions  were 
sent  against  them,  but  they  soon  grew  strong  enough  to 
hold  their  own.  There  are  also  some  Galla  living  in 
the  neighbourhood. 

Witu  was  the  last  stronghold  of  the  Sultans  of  Pate. 
When  that  place  declined,  and  finally  became  a  de- 
pendency of  Zanzibar,  the  throne  was  removed  to 
Witu,  and  there  the  last  Sultans  of  the  line  managed 
to  retain  their  independence,  till  the  place  was  taken 
by  us,  as  a  result  of  the  murder  of  some  German 
traders. 

From  Witu  I  proceeded  to  Kao  on  the  Tana  River. 
After  some  hours  of  wading  through  swamps,  we  reached 
a  backwater.  Here  I  was  told  to  fire  a  shot,  and  after 
about  half  an  hour's  delay  a  canoe  appeared  and  took 
me  up  a  wuiding  creek  to  the  town  of  Kao,  from  which 


TWO   SHORT   TREKS  253 

place  other  canoes  were  despatched  to  fetch  the  rest  of 
my  loads. 

On  the  way  to  Kao  we  passed,  at  one  place,  myriads  of 
little  perch-like  fish,  which  had  got  stranded  in  shallow 
water  and  pools,  whilst  women  were  busy  collecting 
piles  of  them  and  carrying  them  off  wrapped  in  their 
cotton  robes. 

Kao  appeared,  at  this  time  of  year,  to  be  a  low  bank 
of  mud,  on  which  were  situated  about  forty  or  more 
huts.  On  one  side  it  was  bounded  by  the  Tana  and  on 
the  other  three  by  creeks  and  swamps.  A  good  many 
cocoanut  trees  are  grown  round  the  place,  but  I  am 
told  that  they  do  not  prosper. 

From  Kao  we  made  our  way  up  the  Tana  by  canoe. 
The  canoe  was  propelled  by  two  Wapokomo,  one 
paddling  in  the  stern,  and  the  other  standing  in  the 
bow  with  a  long  forked  pole,  with  which  he  occasionally 
poled  at  the  bottom  of  the  river,  but  more  often  prodded 
the  river-side  vegetation  and  pushed  against  that. 
The  paddler  kept  the  canoe  close  in  to  the  bank  or, 
when  the  current  was  strong,  paddled  across  to  the 
other  bank  where  the  current  was  weaker. 

To  the  poler,  nothing  seemed  to  come  amiss;  now  he 
w^ould  prod  at  a  mangrove  root,  now  an  overhanging 
branch,  at  another  time  he  would  collect  a  bunch  of 
reeds  with  his  fork  and  push  against  these. 

The  scenery  was  magnificent,  as  it  generally  is  on 
rivers,  but  the  weather  was  abominable  and  I  was  very 


254     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

glad  to  reach  Mbelazoni,  where  I  landed.  From  this 
place  the  old  course  of  the  Tana  flows  out  at  right  an- 
gles to  the  main  stream  and  joins  the  sea  some  thirty 
miles  south  of  the  present  mouth.  The  river  I  have 
been  calling  the  Tana  so  far  is  really  the  old  Ozi  River. 
The  Tana  was  turned  into  it  by  cutting  the  Mbela- 
zoni canal,  a  feat  that  was  performed  by  Pakomo 
slave  labour,  by  the  command  of  one  of  the  old  Witu 
Sultans. 

The  old  course  of  the  river  is  silted  up  and  it  is  only 
now  when  it  is  very  high  that  any  of  its  water  reaches 
the  sea  by  that  channel.  About  and  below  Mbelazoni 
there  are  stretches  of  rice  fields  on  the  banks. 

From  this  place  I  went  at  right  angles  to  the  present 
course  of  the  river  and  reached  the  old  mouth  amongst 
sand-hills  on  the  seashore,  at  a  village  belonging  to  one 
Hamed  Igao.  The  change  from  the  sodden,  flooded 
country  about  the  Tana  to  the  dry  sand-hills  of  the 
seashore,  in  the  course  of  a  few  miles,  was  remarkable 
and  exhilarating, 

I  had  hoped  to  get  news  of  elephant  here,  but  it  ap- 
peared that  they  had  left  the  locality  and,  according 
to  the  local  authorities,  would  not  return  till  the  Mkoma 
palms  ripened.  This  coast  ivory  is  very  poor,  but  I 
had  never  shot  one  of  these  elephant  or  met  them  under 
these  conditions,  and  was  anxious  to  see  what  the  shoot- 
ing was  like.  The  country  they  inhabit  when  there 
is  thick  thorn  and  bush  not  far  from  the  shore. 


TWO   SHORT  TREKS  255 

I  then  returned  to  Mbelazoni  and  canoed  back  to 
Kao.  The  soil  on  the  banks  of  the  lower  Tana  is  very 
rich  but  the  climate  is  unhealthy.  Cocoanuts  are 
grown  fairly  plentifully,  but  for  some  reason  or  other, 
perhaps  the  richness  of  the  soil,  do  not  thrive  as  they 
do  in  the  sand  and  coral  rag  soil  of  Lamu.  From  Kao 
to  Witu  the  ground  had  become  more  flooded,  and  we 
had  to  wade  waist  deep  for  part  of  the  way. 

At  Witu  I  had  tea  with  the  Sultan.  I  expected  to  be 
given  tea  in  a  tin  mug  but  to  my  surprise  china  cups 
were  set  out,  and  then  a  cosey  tea  basket,  of  the  picnic 
type,  was  brought  up  from  down-stairs  by  a  naked 
urchin,  and  on  being  opened  a  china  teapot  came  forth. 
The  urchin  was  then  set  to  work  to  roll  some  cigarettes, 
the  Sultan  telling  me  that  he  had  a  special  way  of  roll- 
ing, in  which  a  screw  of  paper  was  left  at  the  end,  by 
which  to  light  them. 

After  calling  on  a  settler,  I  proceeded  on  my  return 
journey  to  Mkunumbi.  The  Sultan  was  very  aggrieved 
that  I  would  not  stop  longer,  and  said  that  next  time 
I  came  it  must  be  to  see  and  stop  with  him,  not  to  rush 
through  each  time.  After  wading  practically  the  whole 
way  and  getting  drenched  as  usual,  I  reached  Mkunumbi 
again,  and  thence  returned  to  Lamu. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ODD   NOTES    ON    GAME   AND    THE   HONEY   GUmE 

Often  when  hunting  in  Nyasaland,  North  Eastern 
Rhodesia,  and  other  tropical  parts  of  Africa,  I  have 
thought  that  it  would  be  too  delightful  if  it  were  not 
for  one  thing,  and  that  is  the  sun.  The  sun,  with  its 
concomitants  of  dryness,  parched  country,  thirst,  and 
the  sick  feeling  it  gives  you  after  walking  for  long,  just 
spoils  everything. 

If  one  wanted  it  to  be  perfect,  one  would  also  abolish 
the  tall  grass  and  the  noxious  insects  and  then  it  would 
be  so  delightful  that  one  would  never  want  to  leave  it. 
If  the  climate  could  be  further  altered  to  suit  one's  con- 
venience, one  would  arrange  not  to  have  six  months  of 
parching  dryness,  and  six  months  of  slushy  wetness, 
but  only  small  rains,  at  intervals  often  enough  to  keep 
the  country  fresh  and  green. 

The  long  grass  which  gives  you  a  cold  shower  bath 
in  the  morning,  and  shuts  in  the  heat  during  the  middle 
of  the  day,  which  flicks  you  in  the  face,  pokes  you  in  the 
eye,  conceals  the  path,  trips  you  up  and  covers  you,  at 
certain  seasons,  with  sharp,  prickly  seeds,  is  perhaps  the 
most  annoying  factor  in  African  travel.  There  is  the 
seed  which  I  call  the  thread  and  needle  grass;  it  con- 

256 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    257 

sists  of  a  sharp  head  and  long  tail  like  a  tadpole  and  it 
sews  itself  in  and  out  of  your  shirt.  There  are  barbed 
seeds,  hooked  seeds,  sticky  seeds,  all  sorts  of  seeds,  which 
get  down  your  neck,  into  your  clothes,  under  your 
putties  everywhere. 

Apart  from  these  drawbacks,  however,  wandering  in 
the  bush  presents  many  charms.  There  are  large 
stretches  of  wild,  uninhabited  country,  full  of  game,  to 
be  explored,  all  sorts  of  waterholes,  nullahs,  nooks,  and 
crannies  to  be  ferreted  out  and  investigated. 

When  I  came  to  the  highlands  of  East  Africa,  I  found 
the  country  I  had  been  trying  to  manufacture.  The 
most  perfect  climate,  cool  and  invigorating,  no  long 
grass,  few  noxious  insects,  no  prolonged  drought  or 
swampy  wet  season,  and  plenty  of  game.  The  only 
fault  I  had  to  find  with  it  was  that  it  was  too  crowded 
with  sportsmen.  One  can  convert  one's  hunting  into  a 
real  picnic  in  the  highlands  of  East  Africa,  and  it  is  a 
country  which  quite  spoils  one  for  a  return  to  the 
feverish,  hot,  and  unhealthy  parts.  It  has  one  other 
drawback,  however,  besides  its  crowded  state,  and  that 
is  that  it  is  a  poor  country  for  elephant. 

Unfortunately,  I  have  never  in  my  life  yet  had  time 
to  have  a  leisurely,  enjoyable  trek  with  nothing  to  do 
but  wander  about  and  observe  game;  I  have  always 
been  in  a  rush,  and  my  treks  are  generally  forced. 
Perhaps  it  is  largely  my  own  fault  in  trying  to  get  too 
much  done  in  the  time  available.     If  I  have  ten  days' 


258     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

leave,  I  find  the  place  I  wish  to  get  to  is  exactly  five 
days  there  and  five  days  back.  If  I  have  three  months' 
leave  it  is  six  weeks  there  and  six  weeks  back.  At 
other  times,  when  trekking,  I  have  had  survey  or  ad- 
ministrative work  to  do. 

In  spite  of  these  drawbacks,  from  the  sportsman's 
point  of  view,  I  have  managed  to  spend  many  delight- 
ful times  rambling  about  forest  or  bush.  I  can  im- 
agine no  more  deligthful  way  of  spending  a  holiday,  to 
one  interested  in  animal  life,  than  a  comfortable  and 
leisurely  safari  through  East  Africa.  There  one  can 
find  almost  any  climate  one  may  desire,  the  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  damp  and  dryness,  healthiness  and  un- 
healthiness,  and  anything  intermediate  between  them. 
About  the  only  kind  of  climate  East  Africa  does  not 
produce  is  that  raw,  rheumatic,  damp  weather  for  which 
our  own  island  is  so  justly  famed.  The  only  thing 
against  it,  as  I  have  said  before,  is  that  all  the  healthier 
parts  are  getting  rapidly  filled  up  with  settlers  and 
sportsmen  and  are  becoming  fuller  every  moment. 

To  enjoy  a  trek  to  its  fullest,  one  must  take  an  in- 
terest in  small  things  as  well  as  big.  One  cannot  be 
always  shooting  big  game;  either  one  has  shot  enough 
of  the  species  to  hand,  has  enough  meat  in  camp,  or 
wants  to  find  some  less  strenuous  employment  for  an 
off  day.  Then  if  one  takes  an  interest  in  plants,  smaller 
mammals,  insects,  or  any  other  form  of  life,  one  has 
them  ready  close  at  hand  to  study,  many  of  them  at 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    259 

one's  very  door,  whilst  the  larger  game  must  be  sought 
for,  sometimes,  far  away. 

For  those  who  wish  to  study  the  plain  animals  and 
not  to  shoot,  I  should  imagine  that  a  better  place 
could  not  be  found  than  the  upper  and  middle  pools  of 
the  Athi  River.  During  the  dryest  part  of  the  weather, 
these  places  contain  the  only  water  for  many  miles 
round,  and  the  game  come  in  swarms  to  drink.  Noth- 
ing would  be  easier  than  to  arrange  a  series  of  screens, 
or  to  dig  a  pit  screened  by  brushwood,  or  to  arrange  a 
shelter  in  one  of  the  thorn  trees  and  watch  and  photo 
the  game  from  there.  As  these  pools  are  in  the  game 
reserve,  special  sanction  would  have  to  be  obtained  and 
the  naturalist  would  probably  have  to 'prove  that  he 
was  a  bona  fide  naturalist,  and  not  a  sportsman  in 
disguise. 

In  the  upper  pools  there  is  practically  only  one  pool 
of  very  dirty  and  bitter  water  during  the  dry  weather. 
I  visited  these  pools  in  February  with  Captain 
Cox,  R.E.,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  beacon  for 
the  survey  in  the  neighbourhood.  Before  starting 
from  our  camp  on  the  lower  Athi,  Cox  shotaharte- 
beest,  so  that  we  should  have  a  supply  of  meat  when  in 
the  reserve.  On  arriving  in  the  reserve,  we  found  that 
our  boys  had  left  the  kongoni  at  our  camp,  and  the 
only  fresh  meat  in  the  larder  was  a  guinea  fowl. 

The  boys  were  well  cursed,  with  the  result  that  bits 
of  that  wonderful  bird  appeared  in  different  guises, 


26o     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

strongly  supported  by  potato  and  onions,  sausages,  eggs, 
and  other  makeweights,  on  three  consecutive  days. 

We  saw  masses  of  game  everywhere  and  it  struck  us 
that  the  heads  were  much  finer  than  anything  we  had 
seen  on  the  other  side  of  the  line.  The  safari  put  up 
two  lions  at  the  middle  pools.  We  found  the  water 
here  bitter,  but  obtained  fresher  out  of  a  tributary  to 
the  Athi. 

We  then  went  on  to  the  upper  pools  and  found  only 
one  very  discoloured  and  very  bitter  pool  of  water. 
Fortunately  there  had  been  a  little  shower  of  rain  and 
going  several  miles  farther  up-stream  we  found  some 
bare  rocks  on  which  a  few  shallow  pools  of  water  had 
formed.  These  just  sufficed  for  us,  but  in  another 
couple  of  days  would  have  been  dried  up. 

The  African  native  generally  walks  fairly  slowly,  and 
when  out  sketching,  if  one  goes  at  all  fast,  the  men  with 
the  plane  table  and  instruments  are  generally  left  a 
long  way  behind.  Next  day,  as  we  were  looking  for  a 
point,  we  found  the  men  as  usual  far  behind.  Whilst 
commenting  on  this,  they  commenced  running  for  all 
they  were  worth.  Astonished  at  this  unwonted  zeal, 
we  waited  to  witness  the  phenomenon  and  soon  saw  the 
reason;  — a  couple  of  rhino  were  trotting  behind  them. 

They  came  up  breathless  but  the  rhino  had  now  al- 
tered their  course  a  little,  and  trotted  past.  They  were 
not  really  chasing  the  men,  as  the  latter  tried  to  make 
out,  but  just  happened  to  be  trotting  in  that  direction. 


Topi 


rf^ 


't»«f>c 


iJ         *•     — *r- 


W'aller's  Gazelle 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    261 

Whilst  building  a  beacon  under  the  south  of  Kenya 
there  was  an  absolute  epidemic  of  red-legged  partridge 
round  my  camp.  I  do  not  know  if  they  are  always 
there  in  such  numbers,  or  if  it  was  an  unusual  occur- 
rence. My  porters  set  snares  for  them  with  hair  nooses 
attached  to  withies,  bent  down  like  a  bow  and  releasing 
with  a  catch. 

A  few  grains  of  food  were  arranged  one  side  of  the 
noose.  The  bird  put  its  head  through  to  get  the  grain, 
and  at  the  same  time  trod  on  a  twig  which  let  fly  the 
bow.     It  was  then  borne  up  into  the  air. 

During  a  day  or  two  camped  there,  my  men  must 
have  caught  quite  a  hundred,  whilst  Kikuyu  boys 
brought  in  others  to  sell  at  two  for  an  anna. 

At  this  place  the  natives  told  me  of  an  animal,  some- 
thing like  a  Bongo  from  all  accounts,  but  differently 
striped,  which  was  said  to  live  in  the  forest.  I  never 
obtained  any  more  information  about  it,  and  in  other 
places  along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  the  natives  said 
that  they  knew  nothing  about  such  an  animal.  The 
native  who  was  my  informant  described  the  horns  as 
being  twisted. 

Whilst  sketching  on  the  top  of  a  rocky  hill  near  the 
junction  of  the  Tana  and  Thika,  I  had  a  proof  of  the 
distance  to  which  one  can  hear  the  low,  grunting  sound 
of  the  leopard.  I  was  about  two  or  three  miles  from 
my  camp  and  I  heard  these  gnmts  proceeding  from  that 
direction.     I  estimated  that  the  leopard  must  be  be- 


262     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

tween  me  and  the  camp.  However,  when  I  returned 
and  asked  the  men  there  from  which  direction  the 
sounds  had  come,  they  were  all  agreed  that  they  had 
proceeded  from  the  other  side  of  camp  and  that  they 
were  fairly  distant.  That  is  to  say,  I  had  heard  the 
grunting  clearly,  although  it  must  have  been  four 
miles  distant,  or  perhaps  more. 

Although  about  as  interesting  to  shoot  as  would  be 
a  sheep,  the  impala  to  my  mind  is  the  most  graceful 
and  prettiest  of  African  game.  It  is  generally  found 
in  wooded  country  on  the  banks  of  a  big  river  or  stream. 
Even  in  the  countries  of  thicker  vegetation,  such  wooded 
spots  are  free  from  long  grass,  and  nothing  could  be 
more  charming  and  picturesque  than  to  see  a  herd  of 
these  antelope  moving  through  the  trees,  with  the  lights 
and  shades  playing  on  their  glossy  coats. 

They  generally  move  on  and  on  just  in  front  of  the 
sportsman  and  are  usually  very  tame,  never  going  far 
unless  they  have  been  much  molested,  but  always  just 
out  of  good  sight,  often  baffling  his  effort  to  locate  a 
good  head  from  amongst  their  number.  Their  grace- 
fully curved  horns,  greyhound-like  proportions,  and 
leaping  movements  are  very  pleasing  to  behold. 

Their  surroundings  so  recall  an  English  park  or  wood, 
that  I  have  often  pictured  to  myself  what  an  ornament 
they  would  be  on  any  private  land.  They  feed  to  a 
certain  extent  on  pods  and  shoots,  so  perhaps  it  would 
be  difficult  to  acclimatise  them  to  new  food,  but  it  would 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    263 

be  a  very  simple  matter  to  round  up  a  herd  of  these 
animals.  If  a  zariba  was  built  like  a  keddeh,  on  a  small 
scale,  it  would  be  easy  to  drive  a  herd  in.  Once  there, 
if  fed  and  watered  regularly,  they  would  get  as  tame 
as  some  animals  that  I  have  seen  who  would  take  salt 
out  of  my  hand. 

The  honey  guide  always  appears  to  me  such  an  in- 
teresting little  bird.  He  is  the  only  wild  animal  I  can 
think  of  who  has  established  an  understanding  with 
man,  and  in  his  case  it  seems  to  be  a  complete  under- 
standing, and  with  a  man,  too,  who  is  noted  for  his  want 
of  S3mipathy  with  animals. 

The  arrangement  between  honey  guide  and  human 
beings  is  based  on  mutual  wants,  and  is  evidently  to 
the  advantage  of  both.  It  is  difficult,  however,  to  un- 
derstand how  such  an  understanding  ever  commenced, 
unless  we  credit  the  bird  in  the  first  case  with  a  consid- 
erable degree  of  intelhgence.  One  can  imagine  the  bird 
accidentally  coming  across  honey  hunters  at  work  on 
a  bees'  nest,  or  just  leaving  a  bees'  nest,  and  learning 
that  they  were  useful  people  to  watch.  Then  one  can 
imagine  him  after  a  time  learning  to  follow  about  such 
a  party  and  profit  by  their  leavings. 

The  next  step,  however,  is  a  long  one.  The  bird  knew 
that  it  was  acquainted  with  many  bees'  nests  which  it 
was  impossible  for  it  to  get  at.  It  must  have  reasoned 
that  the  human  beings  were  not  acquainted  with  these 
nests,  in  fact  that  it  was  their  business  to  look  for  and 


264     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

find  nests,  and  that  instead  of  being  very  superior 
beings  they  were,  in  this  respect  at  any  rate,  rather 
stupid.  The  thought  must  have  occurred  to  one  bird 
at  least  that  it  might  show  these  bhnd  human 
beings  the  position  of  such  nests  to  its  own  personal 
advantage. 

To  account  for  the  bird  in  the  first  place  conceiving 
this  idea,  we  must  credit  it  with  an  amount  of  intelli- 
gence and  original  reasoning  powers  quite  apart  from 
what  is  generally  referred  to  as  instinct,  which  very  few 
would  be  prepared  to  admit  is  possible.  I  think  that 
we  are  so  imbued  with  our  own  importance  and  pre- 
dominance in  the  scheme  of  life  that  we  are  apt  to  take 
too  low  a  view  of  the  original  intelligence,  apart  from 
instinct,  of  some  other  forms  of  life. 

Also  the  way  in  -which  we  have  got  the  whole  of  the 
animal  kingdom  ticketed  and  labelled  in  ascending  order 
from  the  protoplasm  to  the  highest  form,  man,  is  liable  to 
give  us,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  a  false  view  of 
the  relative  intelligence  of  different  orders.  The  lower 
in  the  scale,  the  lower  the  form  and  the  lower  the  intel- 
ligence is  a  sort  of  conviction  which  we  unconsciously 
adopt.  If  we  look  on  animal  life  as  a  tree,  it  is  easy  to 
believe  that  any  of  the  last  branches  may  produce  as 
good  fruit  as  any  other.  Unfortunately,  we  imbibe 
knowledge  from  books  and,  by  their  nature,  such  in- 
formation has  to  be  propounded  in  two  dimensions, 
and  the  tree  business  cannot  go  into  two  dimensions. 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    265 

We  have  to  have  our  knowledge  of  plants  and  animals 
served  up  with  a  beginning  and  an  end,  that  is  to  say, 
in  tables  and  lists  and  one  subject  after  another. 

Also,  when  we  compare  man's  intelligence  with  that 
of  the  animal,  we  perhaps  turn  too  much  to  those  ani- 
mals we  know  best  and  can  understand,  the  dog,  the 
horse,  and  the  cow,  and  perhaps  the  last  two  are  amongst 
the  most  foolish  things  in  creation. 

If  we  want  to  look  for  the  next  to  man  in  intelligence, 
pferhaps  we  should  turn  to  the  ant  first,  then  to  some 
kinds  of  birds,  and  then  to  the  bee.  Birds  are  a  highly 
intelligent  order ;  if  one  wants  a  good  example,  look  at 
the  Indian  crow.  With  this  bird  the  difficulty  is  not 
to  believe  that  it  has  reasoning  powers  of  a  fairly  high 
order,  but  it  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  convince 
oneseK  that  some  of  its  actions  were  caused  by  instinct. 
Such  actions  are  purely  extemporised  for  the  occasion. 

An  Indian  crow  will  make  an  absolute  fool  of  a  dog. 
One  wiR  attract  his  attention  and  make  him  rush  at  it 
to  the  full  length  of  his  chain  and  bark  senselessly, 
whilst  a  second  will  hop  quietly  round  behind  him  and 
help  himself  out  of  his  platter. 

So  in  the  case  of  the  honey  guide,  it  is  possible  to 
believe  that  its  reasoning  powers  led  it  in  the  first  in- 
stance to  the  idea  of  showing  man  the  bees'  nests  of 
which  it  knew. 

Having  got  so  far,  the  next  step  is  more  difficult  to 
follow.     So  far  the  black  man,  for  I  suppose  that  it  was 


266     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

a  black  man,  intensely  unobservant  of  anything  that  he 
cannot  eat  or  drink,  or  that  does  not  sting  or  bite  him 
or  otherwise  minister  to  his  comfort  or  discomfort,  prob- 
ably never  noticed  the  quiet,  little  inconspicuous  bird 
who  has  followed  him  from  tree  to  tree,  and  sat  watch- 
ing him  from  afar  till  he  had  finished  his  work  and 
gone  his  way.  How  then  did  he  first  become  aware  that 
the  bird's  twittering  was  an  invitation  to  follow  and  how 
did  he  first  realise  what  the  bird  wanted  ?  I  can  imag- 
ine the  scene ;  the  bird,  at  first  a  little  nervous,  and  then 
growing  bolder,  flying  over  the  honey  hunter's  head. 
At  last  one  would  say,  "A  bird."  The  other  after 
considerable  cogitation  would  reply,  "It  is  crying." 
Then  with  the  air  of  having  completely  solved  all  the 
problems  of  the  universe,  they  would  proceed  on  their 
way. 

Perhaps  the  bird  continued  time  after  time  till  he 
struck  some  one  who  was  as  great  a  genius  for  a  black 
man  as  it  was  for  a  bird  and  that  this  one  followed  him 
to  see  what  he  wanted.  However,  even  then  it  would 
not  be  apparent  what  the  bird  wanted,  and  after  a  short 
time  the  man  might  well  have  thought  that  he  was  being 
made  a  fool  of. 

I  imagined  when  I  heard  of  the  honey  bird  that  it  flew 
from  tree  to  tree  in  a  straight  line  and  finaUy  sat  just 
over  the  nest,  chirping  loudly.  When  I  first  came  across 
it,  and  watched  its  zigzag,  apparently  aimless,  flight 
from  tree  to  tree  and  back  again,  and  when  on  several 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE    267 

occasions  we  were  absolutely  unable  to  find  any  bees' 
nests,  I  began  to  be  sceptical  about  the  honey  guide's 
powers. 

I  argued  that  if  you  take  any  party  of  natives  con- 
vinced of  the  bird's  efficacy,  and  if  when  the  bird  ap- 
pears, they  all  turn  to  looking  for  a  bees'  nest,  encour- 
aged by  the  bird's  twitterings,  the  chances  are  that  in 
many  cases  they  will  be  rewarded  by  finding  one.  How- 
ever, I  have  now  no  doubt  whatever  that  the  bird  is 
actually  a  honey  guide,  although  I  suspect  in  it  a  vein 
of  humour,  or  comradeship,  which  induces  it  sometimes 
to  make  a  fool  of  one.  "I  have  found  honey  often 
enough  for  you,"  I  can  imagine  it  saying,  "now  come 
along  and  find  some  for  me.  Twit,  twit,  twit.  Would 
you  like  to  go  this  way  ?  or  perhaps  this  is  better  ?" 

Apart  from  this,  I  have  found  honey  so  often  by  the 
help  of  the  honey  guide,  and  on  many  occasions  so  near 
where  it  first  attracted  our  attention,  that  the  matter 
is  to  my  mind  a  certainty.  You  must  not,  however, 
expect  him  to  go  and  sit  over  the  nest;  he  leaves 
something  to  your  own  powers  of  observation  and 
intelligence. 

This  has  been  my  experience  on  perhaps  a  score  of 
occasions.  One  is  walking  through  the  bush,  perhaps 
returning  from  a  shoot,  when  one  hears  twit,  twit,  twit, 
twit,  and  the  little  bird  flies  past  and  off  to  one  side.  One 
follows  looking  at  all  the  big  trees  and  ant-hills  about, 
but  hears  the  bird  anxiously  calling  from  ahead.     One 


268    HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

goes  on  a  little,  still  looking  carefully  at  every  likely 
place,  when  one  hears  twit,  twit,  twit,  from  one  side 
again.  One  goes  there  and  hears  the  sound  in  front 
again  and  then  dying  down.  Perhaps  one  goes  on  to 
this  place  but  the  bird  does  not  encourage  one  any  more, 
and  one  does  not  see  or  hear  it.  Looking  carefully  all 
round  you  find  a  nest,  if  you  are  clever.  Perhaps  you 
do  not  find  a  nest  and  perhaps  you  wander  far  away; 
in  any  case  after  you  have  been  looking  some  time,  the 
bird  starts  again  and  takes  you  off.  I  suppose  it  has 
assumed  that  either  you  cannot  find  this  nest  or  that 
for  some  reason  or  other  you  do  not  want  it,  and  it  is 
taking  you  to  another. 

Till  I  did  some  hunting  with  some  professional  honey 
hunters,  I  was  unaware  what  a  blind  fool  I  was  in  the 
matter  of  bees'  nests,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if 
I  exasperated  my  first  honey  guides  beyond  measure. 
"There  you  are,  can't  you  see  it  just  in  front  of  your 
nose  ?  Don't  you  see  the  direction  in  which  the  bees 
are  flying  ?  Why  don't  you  put  your  ear  to  the  trunk  ?  " 
must  have  been  the  thoughts  that  flitted  through  his 
little  head. 

I  wrote  an  article  to  the  Field  which  appeared  in  the 
issue  of  September  14,  1907,  on  the  subject  of  the  honey 
guide.  In  this  I  mentioned  a  case  of  five  nests  being 
found  in  two  days,  all  close  to  the  spot  where  the  honey 
guide  had  attracted  our  attention,  and  this  when  we 
were  trekking  along  a  caravan  route  and  were  not 


NOTES  ON  GAME  AND  THE  HONEY  GUIDE     269 

anxious  to  stop  our  march.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
we  were  not  going  to  pay  any  attention  to  the  bird,  but 
it  was  so  insistent,  in  fact  it  absolutely  buttonholed  us, 
that  I  had  to  follow  it.  I  determined  not  to  go  far,  but 
we  found  the  nest  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  road. 

The  chances  are  that  the  habit  of  the  honey  guide 
is  acquired  from  others,  and  is  not  what  we  call  an 
^'instinct."  Perhaps  it  is  carried  on  from  one  bird 
seeing  another,  or  perhaps  it  has  by  now  been  done 
so  often  that  it  has  developed  into  an  instinct,  although 
not  so  long  ago  it  must  have  been  acquired  by  reasoning 
powers. 

My  reasons  for  thinking  the  former  are :  first,  that 
there  appears  to  be  a  great  deal  of  difference  between 
individual  birds;  some  seem  very  good  guides,  and 
some  very  erratic.  Secondly,  they  cannot  be  depen- 
dent upon  this  form  of  sustenance  alone,  as  in  some 
places  the  times  must  be  few  when  they  can  success- 
fully buttonhole  man  to  follow  them,  and  so  all  the 
honey  guides  there  have  been  cannot  each  have  had 
sufficient  individual  repetitions  of  the  experience  to 
enable  them  to  acquire  the  instinct. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

TUSKS  OF  ELEPHANT  AND  THEIR  MEASUREMENTS 

I  TRUST  the  reader  is  not  bored  with  elephant.  It 
is  a  subject  I  hate  leaving.  In  former  notes  about  them 
I  gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  the  biggest  tuskers  moved 
about  in  small  parties  of  perhaps  four  or  five  together. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  now  that  the  very  biggest  wiE 
more  often,  or  equally  often,  be  found  in  male  herds 
of  perhaps  about  ten  animals  together,  and  such  herds 
often  contain  quite  small  and  young  males. 

In  Nyasaland  and  North  Eastern  Rhodesia,  there  are 
a  fair  number  of  elephants,  but  the  tusks  seem  to  run. 
much  smaller  than  in  Uganda  and  the  Lado.  There, 
sixty  pounds  or  so  was  considered  a  very  fair  tusk,  and 
the  elephant  carrying  these  were  usually  found  in  small 
groups.  On  the  other  hand,  the  females  also  were  gen- 
erally found  in  small  groups,  although  occasionally  they 
might  be  found  in  herds  of  twenty  or  so.  I  never  saw  or 
heard  of  anything  like  the  great  herds  of  several  hun- 
dred which  occur  in  Uganda,  the  Congo,  and  the 
southern  Sudan.  \ 

I  have  always  maintained  that  the  size  of  the  spoor 
is  a  very  good  general  indication  as  to  the  size  of  the 

270 


TUSKS   AND   THEIR   MEASUREMENTS      271 

tusk.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  rule  is  infallible, 
but  by  observing  closely  the  spoor,  the  hunter  will 
save  himself  a  lot  of  trouble  for  nothing  in  following 
worthless  tusks.  If  he  followed  nothing  under  twenty 
inches  he  would  be  fairly  safe  for  a  fifty-pounder,  al- 
though bigger  tuskers  sometimes  occur  with  smaller 
spoor  and  forty-pounders  sometimes  run  to  twenty-inch 
spoor.  The  rule  applies  better  if  all  the  animals  in 
one  country  or  district  are  compared  together,  rather 
than  with  elephant  from  another  in  which  there  may 
be  a  tendency  to  grow  bigger  or  smaller  feet.  For 
instance,  Uganda  elephant  are  big-footed.  However, 
by  looking  at  the  following  tables  he  will  be  able  to 
judge  better  for  himself.  I  am  afraid  that  they  do  not 
cover  enough  individuals  to  make  them  really  trust- 
worthy or  valuable. 

The  Baganda  as  a  rule,  if  they  find  fresh  spoor,  bring 
a  stick  showing  the  measurement,  which  is  very  satis- 
factory, as  it  prevents  one  dashing  out  after  females  or 
smaU  males.  They  will  also,  if  they  find  a  dead  ele- 
phant, bring  in  a  stick  the  length  of  the  part  of  the  tusk 
protruding  from  the  gums  and  a  bit  of  bark  the  measure- 
ment of  the  girth  of  the  tusks  at  the  gums. 

The  height  of  an  elephant  is  no  indication  of  the  size 
of  the  tusks  or  the  size  of  the  spoor.  The  measure- 
ments of  the  spoor  below  have  been  aU  taken  off  the 
dead  animal's  forefoot,  so  as  to  be  uniform.  The  meas- 
urement is  from  front  to  rear,  only  including  the  well- 


272     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

worn  part  of  the  foot  and  thus  excluding  about  an  inch 
of  toe.  Measurements  on  the  ground  would  therefore 
read  larger  as  a  rule.  My  reading  would  correspond 
to  the  size  of  the  faint  impression  on  a  hard  surface, 
covered  by  a  very  thin  layer  of  sand,  just  sufficient  to 
show  the  impression.  To  be  uniform  with  my  measure- 
ments, about  an  inch  should  be  deducted  from  a  spoor 
measured  in  soft  sand  or  mud,  where  the  toe  just  shows, 
and  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  deep  spoor  marks, 
where  the  whole  foot  has  sunk  below  the  surface.  Of 
course  the  hunter  must  judge  for  himself  whether  it  be 
a  clean  spoor  mark  or  whether  the  foot  has  slipped. 
In  the  latter  case  he  must  find  where  the  second  im- 
pression of  the  back  of  the  foot  comes. 

As  regards  the  heights  at  the  shoulder  I  cannot  guar- 
antee them  within  an  inch  or  so.  An  elephant  will 
either  fall  on  his  side  or  in  a  sitting  posture.  If  in  the 
latter,  it  will  be  impossible  to  adequately  judge  his 
height  at  the  shoulder. 

If  he  falls  on  his  side,  the  leg  is  seldom  absolutely 
straight,  and  it  will  be  found  impossible  to  straighten 
it  after  death,  whilst  even  the  most  intrepid  hunter 
and  ardent  observer  would  hesitate  to  try  to  do  this 
before.  So  after  pulling  the  leg  as  nearly  straight  as 
possible,  often  a  small  allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
actual  position  it  would  assume  when  straight.  Next 
I  have  put  in  two  uprights,  one  at  the  shoulder  and  one 
at  the  sole  or  assumed  position  of  the  sole.     Then  I 


TUSKS   AND    THEIR   MEASUREMENTS      273 

have  measured  the  distance  between  these  two  uprights 
from  about  five  feet  up  their  height.  If  these  uprights 
are  not  absolutely  vertical,  an  inch  or  so  of  error  may 
easily  creep  in.  What  I  want  to  say  is  that  I  have 
done  my  best  to  get  a  true  measurement,  but  have  only 
used  rough-and-ready  methods  and  so  they  may  easily 
be  a  couple  of  inches  out  either  way. 

Another  point  is,  and  about  this  I  am  not  certain, 
how  near  a  l3dng-down  measurement  corresponds  to  a 
standing-up  measurement.  I  believe  a  man  is  slightly 
longer  when  stretched  out  full  length  in  bed  than  he  is 
when  standing  upright.  Perhaps  an  inch  should  be 
deducted  on  this  account. 

Only  during  the  last  few  years  have  I  been  measur- 
ing elephants  carefully,  especially  their  tusks,  with  a 
view  to  observing  the  proportion  of  tusk  outside  the 
gums  to  that  inside  the  head.  Still  later  it  occurred 
to  me  that  a  measurement  on  the  outer  curve  of  a 
tusk  was  not  a  satisfactory  guide  to  the  cubic  capacity 
unless  one  knew  how  much  it  curved.  A  better  guide 
would  be  a  mean  between  the  measurement  of  the 
outer  curve  and  the  inner  curve,  and  so  the  tusks  of 
the  last  few  elephants  I  have  shot  I  have  measured 
in  this  way. 

This  again  is  no  absolute  guide  unless  one  knows 
the  size  of  the  hoUows,  which  would  require  very  intri- 
cate measurement.  I  have  tried  to  indicate  these 
by  putting  in  the  column  of  remarks  "old"  or  "young." 


274     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I  have  also  shown  the  company  he  was  found  in  by 
''herd  elephant,"  which  means  that  he  was  running 
with  a  big  herd  of  females  and  young,  "male  herd," 
which  means  that  he  was  with  ten  or  more  other  males, 
"small  party"  which  means  that  he  was  one  of  five 
or  six,  or  else  "lone,"  or  "one  of  two,"  or  more  as  the 
case  may  be. 

Subject  to  clerical  errors,  I  believe  the  measurements 
of  tusks  as  under  to  be  quite  accurate. 


Table  of  Relative  Measurements   of  Length  of   Spoor   of 
Forefoot,  Height  at  the  Shoulder,  and  Weight  of  Tusks 


Height  at 

Weight  of  Tusks 

No. 

Spoor 

Shoulder 

Lb. 

Remarks 

I 

22" 

11'        2" 

87I&     85 

2 

22" 

10'      8" 

68    &    66 

Approx.  weight 

3 

21" 

10'         2h" 

68    &    68 

4 

21" 

—     — 

55    &    50 

5 

20f" 

66i  &    66 

6 

2O2 

Si   &  52 

7 

20I" 

—     — 

40    &    39 

8 

20i" 

10'    9" 

79    &    70 

Broken  tusk 

9 

20" 

—     — 

40    &    39 

lO 

20" 

11'    4" 

64    &   62 

II 

191" 

—     — 

124    &  112 

12 

19*" 

10'  10" 

61    &    53 

Abnormal  tusks 

13 

igh" 

—     — 

SO    &    — 

One  tusker 

14 

rgh" 

—     — 

50    &    49 

15 

19I" 

—     — 

40    &    40 

16 

191" 

—     — 

94    &    86 

Tip  broken 

17 

i8i" 

—     — 

40    &    40 

18 

16" 

—     — 

IS   &   15 

Female 

19 

iSf" 

—     — 

15    &    14^ 

Female 

20 

isr 



23    &    21 

Female 

Measurements  of  Male  Elephant  and  their  Tusks 


Upper  Tust 

RrcHr  Tusk 

Lefi  Tusk 

Length 
Tail 

Weights 

No. 

Length 

Height  at 

Girth  at 

Girth 

Lengtli  Out- 

Length In- 

Out of 

Girth 

Length  Out- 

Length In- 

Out of 

Tusk 

Tusk 

Ear 

Right  Tusk 

Left  Tusk 

Remarks 

Spoor* 

Shoulder 

Gumst 

side  Curve 

side  Curve 

Gums 

side  Curve 

side  Curve 

Gums 

Lb. 

Lb. 

I 

I 

I9I" 

— . 

— 

19^' 

i'    8" 

— 

62" 

20" 

8'    0' 

— 

— 

L 

L 

— 



112 

124 

Amongst  male  herd  of  about  ten.     Old. 

2 

19^' 

iH" 

19" 

8'    3" 

7'    5" 

65" 

19" 

7'    8i" 

6' 9" 

57" 

sitting 

R 

~ 

■ 

94 

86 

Amongst  male  herd  of  about  ten.      Left  tusk 
broken;   probably  originally  biggest.     Old. 

2 

3 

22" 

11'  2" 

i8|" 

i8|" 

6'  loi" 

— 

50" 

isr 

i  if" 

— 

S4l" 

R 

R 

68" 

— 

87^ 

8S 

Right  tusk  tip  chipped.    Lone  elephant    Old. 

3 

4 

— 



— 

191" 

6'  10" 

5'  10" 

48" 

192" 

6'    8i" 

5    5" 

41 

— 

— 

— 

— 

86 

80 

In  big  herd.     Old. 

4 

5 

20i" 

10'     9" 

18" 

i8i" 

6'    9^' 

5'  11" 

so" 

i8i" 

S'    9^' 

4'  8" 

~ 

L 

R 

— 

79 

70 

Lone  elephant.    About  i  ft.  worn  off  left  tusk. 
Very  old. 

S 

6 



■ — 

i8|" 

i9r 

6'    0" 

5'    i" 

— 

19^' 

6'    4" 

s's" 

39" 

R 

L 

— 

— 

67 

69 

Amongst  male  herd  of  about  twenty.     Old. 

6 

7 

21" 

10'      2|" 

171" 

17!" 

6'    2I" 

— 

42I" 

18" 

6'    i" 

— 

41" 

L 

equal 

— 

49" 

68 

68 

Lone  elephant.     Very  old. 

7 

8 

20i" 



— 

19" 

6'  ir 

— 

4ir 

i9i" 

5'  io|" 

— 

40" 

R 

R 

— 

— 

66| 

66 

In  herd. 

8 

9 

lO 

22" 
20" 

10'    8" 
11'    4" 

18" 
18" 

18" 

6'    0" 



3Si" 

42^' 

18" 
18" 

5'  lof" 

Z 

4oi" 

L 
R 

R 

69" 

— 

68 
64 

66 

62 

Lone  elephant.    Approx.  weights.  Youngish. 
In  herd  of  three. 

9 
10 

II 

I9i" 

10'  10" 

16" 

16" 

6'    6" 

— 

sol" 

i6r 

6'    7i" 

— 

Soi" 

L 

L 

70" 

S7r' 

53 

61 

In  herd.     Abnormal  shaped  tusks.     Old. 

11 

12 

19^" 

10'    6" 

16" 

17" 

6'    i" 

5'    2" 

— 

i6|" 

5'    9l" 

5'  0" 

40" 

R 

R 

73" 

48" 

58 

56 

In  herd  of  six.     Left  tusk  broken  tip. 

12 

13 

21" 

— 

— 

i7r 

5'  10" 

— 

37i" 

i7i" 

s'  5" 

— 

36" 

R 

R 

— 

— 

5S 

SO 

In  immense  herd. 

13 

14 

20i" 

— 

— 

i7i" 

6'    3l" 

— 

46" 

i7r 

6'    i" 

— 

45" 

R 

R 

— 

— 

53 

S2 

In  immense  herd.     Youngish. 

14 

IS 

i9i"' 

one 

tusker 

i6|" 

S'  10" 

~ 

41I" 

L 

L 

— " 

— 

— 

50 

One  of  two.    One  tusker.     Old. 

15 

i6 

191" 

— 

— 

i6i" 

5'    3" 

— 

30I" 

i6i" 

5      32 

— 

— 

sitting 

L 

— 

— 

49 

50 

Other  of  two. 

t6 

17 
i8 

i9i" 
i8i" 

— 

16" 

n 
15 

i7i" 
i6|" 

5'     2|" 

4'  ii-r 

4'    5" 
4'    3l" 

i7r 
17" 

r'       rX" 
5          52 

s'  z\" 

4'    8" 

a'       '7" 

4     7 

36" 
30" 

R 
R 

equal 
equal 

— 

— 

40 
40 

40 
40 

Shot  right  and  left  out  of  herd.     Youngish. 

17 
18 

19 

20|" 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

iSi" 

— 

— 

26i" 

R 

R 

— 

40 

39 

Lone  elephant. 

IQ 

20 

20" 

16" 

5'  a\" 

36". 

isi" 

5'    4" 

— - 

35" 

R 

R 

— 

— 

40 

39 

In  immense  herd.     Youngish. 

20 

21 

— 

// 
14 

15" 

4'  11" 

4   4 

32" 

IS" 

5'    9" 

5     I2 

40" 

L 

R 

— 

— 

38 

34 

Lone  in  rear  of  herd.      Right  tusk  broken 

21 

22 

1" 
192 

/      1  // 
9   102 

I5V' 

isr 

/        // 
4     9 

4      2 

— 

is!" 

4     si" 

3     10 



R 

equal 



. 

33 

33 

tip.     Oldish. 
Small  herd.     Youngish. 

22 

^3 

i6f" 

I2i" 

■ — 

— - 

— - 

— 

— 

^ 

— 

L 

— 

— 

— 

30 

30 

One  of  two.     Young. 

23 

24 

I3i 

~ 

— 

25" 

— 

— 

— 

— 

L 

R 

— 

— 

242 

23 

Herd  of  about  twenty.     Quite  young. 

24 

25 

I2i 

23i" 

R 

R 

~ 

~ 

23 

22 

Herd  of  about  twenty.     Quite  young. 

25 

*Spoor  measured  from  front  to  back  on  forefoot. 


t  Girih  at  Gums  measured  outside  gums  before  cutting  out  tusks. 


.      TUSKS   AND   THEIR   MEASUREMENTS      275 

As  regards  the  girth  of  tusks,  the  measurement  at 
the  gums  is  generally  a  little  less  than  the  measure- 
ment just  inside  the  gums,  which  can  only  be  taken 
after  the  tusks  are  cut  out.  In  very  young  elephant 
there  is  more  likely  to  be  a  greater  divergence,  whilst 
in  very  old  ones  the  two  readings  may  nearly  coincide. 
In  some  cases  they  do  absolutely. 

I  have  called  a  lone  elephant  one  that  was  by  himself 
when  shot.  Such  an  elephant  might  be  going  to 
join  up  with  some  others  and,  if  found  an  hour  or  two 
later,  would  then  have  been  in  company.  Again, 
sometimes  an  elephant  remains  by  himself  whilst 
recovering  from  a  bad  sore  or  a  wound. 

I  have  several  times  come  across  proofs  of  a  single 
elephant  having  been  alone  for  a  day  or  so  and,  for 
that  matter,  he  may  have  been  much  longer.  For 
instance,  a  very  old  elephant  I  shot  recently  was  by 
himself,  and  I  had  seen  his  spoor  covering  a  period 
of  three  days,  during  which  time  there  were  no  evidences 
of  his  having  been  with  any  others  and  I  could  find 
no  old  wound  or  sore  on  him.  Whether  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  a  really  lone  elephant  who  invariably  lives, 
eats,  and  walks  about  by  himself,  I  am  inclined  to 
doubt.  I  should  think  it  more  probable  that  some 
crusty  old  fellows  go  off  and  sulk  for  a  bit  and  then 
join  their  friends  again.  There  is  one  thing  about 
a  lone  elephant,  and  it  is  that  he  is  often  very  truculent 
and  incKned  to  charge.    Also,  he  does  not,  as  a  rule, 


276     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

go  far,  but  rather,  if  he  has  been  disturbed,  waits  to 
see  if  he  is  being  followed  and  when  a  favourable  oppor- 
tunity occurs  charges.  This  would  be  accounted  for 
on  the  supposition  that  he  was  wounded  or  perhaps 
only  out  of  sorts,  and  so  does  not  wish  to  be  disturbed, 
or  is  rather  short-tempered  and  does  not  wish  to  go 
far. 

As  regards  the  measurements  of  the  ear,  the  first 
two  were  taken  at  random  and  they  were  so  near 
each  other,  although  the  heights  of  the  elephant 
were  very  different,  that  I  afterwards  took  another 
to  see  if  the  measurement  was  fairly  constant.  In 
the  same  way,  the  first  two  measurements  of  the  tail 
were  taken  at  random  and  they  showed  such  an  enor- 
mous difference  that  I  took  another  to  see  how 
variable  this  measurement  was. 

Lately,  there  has  been  a  discussion  in  the  Field  con- 
cerning the  fold  at  the  top  of  an  elephant's  ear.  Some 
claim  that  it  folds  forwards  and  outwards  in  the  same 
way  as  the  fold  of  the  human  ear,  and  that  the  one 
set  up  in  the  British  Museum  is  folded  wrong.  All 
I  can  say  is  that  I  must  have  seen  some  thousands 
of  African  elephants  retreating  from  me  with  the 
flaps  at  the  top  of  the  ear  folded  inwards,  or  resting 
on  the  top  of  the  head,  and  I  have  watched  elephants 
flapping  their  ears  from  a  close  distance,  under  fifty 
yards,  some  hundreds  of  times  and  never  remember 
seeing  an  outward  fold.     I  admit  that  I  have  not 


TUSKS  AND   THEIR  MEASUREMENTS     277 

been  on  the  lookout  for  such  a  fold,  but  I  think 
that  it  would  have  struck  me  as  an  abnormal  ap- 
pearance. 

Since  seeing  the  discussion,  I  have  observed  elephant 
closely  and  have  never  seen  an  outward  fold.  More- 
over, in  the  elephant  I  have  shot  since,  I  have  observed 
that  the  top  of  the  ear  is  so  rigid  and  set  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  it  sometimes  to  fold  one  way  and 
sometimes  the  other,  although  the  loose  flap  might 
certainly  be  temporarily  thrown  over  the  rigid  part, 
but  if  this  happened  it  would  soon  slip  back  into  its 
former  position. 

I  have  commented  before  on  the  silent  way  in  which 
elephant  walk.  When  seen  moving  in  wooded  country, 
the  play  of  light  and  shadow  on  their  backs  produces 
an  extraordinary  illusion.  Whilst  watching  what  one 
imagines  to  be  its  broad  back  moving  with  the  alternate 
shade  and  sun  dancing  on  it,  one  suddenly  realises  that 
there  is  no  elephant  there.  He  has  quietly  shuj63ed  off 
whilst  the  dancing  lights  and  shadows  have  caught 
and  arrested  the  eye.  For  his  size,  the  elephant  is 
as  a  rule  most  extraordinarily  inconspicuous,  whether 
moving  or  stationary.  There  may  be  a  hundred 
elephant  within  a  few  hundred  yards,  and  the  nearest 
within  fifty,  resting  in  the  shade,  and  one  may  be 
completely  unaware  of  it  till  one  hears  an  earflap 
or  a  gurgle. 

The  thickness  of  the  coimtry  preferred  by  elephant. 


278     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

of  course,  has  much  to  do  with  it,  but  apart  from  this, 
they  are  often  very  hard  to  make  out  when  standing 
stationary.  I  have  often  caught  sight  of  a  slight  move- 
ment and  thereby  become  aware  of  an  elephant  at  a 
hundred  yards  or  under,  and  then,  although  a  great 
part  of  his  body  is  visible,  been  unable  to  determine 
for  some  time  which  end  is  which. 

I  think  when  we  realise  how  inconspicuous  the 
elephant  is  and  remember  his  size  and  that  no  one, 
that  I  know  of,  has  ever  claimed  for  him  protective 
colouration,  the  folly  of  la3dng  stress  on  the  colouration 
of  the  larger  mammals  as  being  acquired  for  protective 
purposes  is  apparent. 

As  Mr.  Selous  says,  there  is  no  scheme  of  colouration 
one  could  devise  that  would  not  be  inconspicuous 
under  certain  conditions.  That  is  to  say,  that  any 
colour  or  combination  of  colours  and  markings  with 
which  you  could  possibly  bedeck  an  animal  would 
be,  in  the  forest  or  thick  bush,  difficult  to  see  under 
certain  conditions,  especially  if  the  animal  was  standing 
in  the  shade,  when  colour  counts  for  nothing  unless 
one  is  within  a  few  yards.  So  under  certain  circum- 
stances, all  colours  are  protective,  which  amounts 
to  practically  the  same  as  saying  that  an  animal  might 
have  acquired  any  colour  or  any  pattern  it  liked 
and  yet  be  considered  protectively  coloured,  which 
reduces  the  theory  ad  absurdum. 

Wounded  elephant  often  get  very  angry  and  vent 


TUSKS   AND   THEIR   MEASUREMENTS      279 

their  rage  on  trees  or  inanimate  objects.  One  of  the 
district  commissioners  of  Nimule  told  me  that  he 
wounded  a  big  elephant  near  that  place  and  on  follow- 
ing it  up  found  that  it  had  gone  for  miles,  pulling  up 
and  breaking  down  trees  on  the  way,  out  of  pure 
anger. 

I  remember  firing  at  an  elephant  once  who,  when  I  hit 
him,  rushed  towards  me,  screaming  with  rage.  When 
he  got  about  a  third  of  the  distance  to  me,  he  met  a 
tree  and  tore  off  the  branches,  screaming  the  while. 
Having  done  this  he  turned  round  and  rejoined  the 
herd. 

Elephant  get  badly  burnt  sometimes  by  bush  fires. 
It  is  the  practice  amongst  the  natives  in  certain  parts 
to  collect  in  great  numbers  and  set  fire  to  a  large 
expanse  of  grass  in  a  circle.  Any  elephant  inside 
must  break  through  the  fire  ring  to  get  out  and,  in 
doing  so,  often  gets  singed.  I  am  told  they  lose 
their  head  and  rush  backwards  and  forwards,  whilst 
baby  elephant  often  get  burnt  to  death  and  are  then 
eaten  by  the  natives.  I  have  never  witnessed  one 
of  these  performances  but  have  met  elephant  with 
large  sores  on  them  which  I  believe  are  to  be  accounted 
for  by  burning  in  this  way. 

Elephant  hate  shouting  and  stamping  of  feet,  and 
loud  shouting  and  stamping  in  front  of  them  will 
almost  invariably  turn  a  herd,  even  though  apparently 
stampeding  blindly  in  that  direction. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

CURIOUS   AFRICAN   SAYINGS   AND   IDEAS 

It  is  usually  hard  to  make  a  native  understand 
anything  which  is  out  of  the  way  of  his  own  simple 
life.  If  one  is  well  acquainted  with  his  methods  of 
thought,  or  rather  his  lack  of  method  in  this  respect, 
and  tries  to  turn  the  corner  instead  of  going  straight 
ahead,  one  may  often  convey  a  definite  idea  to  him 
which  it  would  be  impossible  to  do  otherwise.  Or 
if  one  descends  to  his  line  of  argument,  one  may  prove 
to  his  complete  satisfaction  a  point  by  absolutely  worth- 
less logic. 

A  parallel  occurs  with  us,  where  a  smart  repartee, 
having  no  logical  value  whatever  and  completely 
outside  the  point,  will  often  discomfit  an  opponent 
and  leave  the  maker  with  all  the  honours  of  war. 

A  thing  that  the  ordinary  native  cannot  understand 
is  that  the  farther  you  go  inland,  the  dearer  will  be 
articles  imported,  such  as  calico,  etc.  I  have  often 
heard  natives  complain  bitterly  that  the  shops  of 
Nairobi  are  more  expensive  than  those  of  Mombasa, 
and  those  of  Entebbe  than  Nairobi,  and  so  on. 

Commenting  on  this  to  a  shrewd  trader  in  Nyasa- 

280 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS    281 

land,  he  said  that  natives  often  complained  to  him  that 
they  could  get  calico  at  4d  a  yard  at  Blantyre,  about 
ten  days'  distance,  whereas  he  charged  them  <,d.  To 
have  said,  ''AU  right,  you  go  down  to  Blantyre  and 
buy  your  calico"  would  not  have  convinced  the  native 
at  all  that  it  was  not  an  exorbitant  charge.  He  would 
think  nothing  of  going  down  ten  days  to  expend  86^ 
on  two  yards  of  calico.  Time  is  not  money  to  the 
African. 

"But  lor'  bless  ee, "  said  the  trader,  "there  are  always 
ways  and  means  of  explaining  to  the  native.  I  say  all 
right,  you  go  and  hunk  me  up  a  load  of  calico  from 
Blantyre  for  nothing,  and  I  will  then  sell  you  as  many 
yards  as  you  like  for  4(f."  This  argument  was  self- 
convincing. 

There  are  in  Swahili  some  wonderfully  apt  proverbs, 
a  collection  of  which  has  been  made  by  the  Rev.  W.  E. 
Taylor.  I  have  found  that  the  quoting  of  a  proverb 
often  proves  a  point  completely  to  the  native  satis- 
faction, especially  amongst  such  a  motley  crew,  as, 
for  instance,  caravan  porters,  who  talk  Swahili  as  a 
common  language  but  are  not  really  well  versed  in  it. 
Often  old  Swahili  words,  which  have  completely  gone 
out  of  use  in  the  modern  language,  are  retained  in  these 
proverbs.  The  very  fact  that  they  are  unintelligible 
to  him  would  make  them  even  more  convincing.  They 
bear  for  him  the  magic  of  an  unknown  incantation. 

A  few  examples  of  the  proverbs  are :  — 


282     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

"Do  not  show  kindness  to  a  dog,  for  he  is  insensible 
to  kindness." 

The  pariah  dog  is,  of  course,  the  dog  referred  to. 
The  meaning  is  that  if  you  go  out  of  your  way  to  help 
an  evil  person,  the  chances  are  that  he  will  return 
you  evil  for  good. 

"When  you  chance  to  meet  your  mother-in-law, 
it  is  then  that  you  happen  to  be  naked."  A  man 
perhaps  in  his  village  and  working  in  the  fields  will 
throw  off  the  greater  part  of  his  clothes,  whilst  he 
would  wish  to  appear  at  his  best  when  he  meets  his 
mother-in-law.  The  proverb  means  that  it  is  just 
when  one  is  least  prepared  that  one  is  taken  at  a  dis- 
advantage. It  would  be  applicable  to  a  case  in  which 
visitors  suddenly  called  when  there  was  nothing  in 
the  pot  or  in  the  larder.  Another  one  is,  "The  slowness 
of  the  tortoise  takes  him  far  afield."  Meaning  "Slow 
but  sure." 

As  natives  generally  do  things  in  the  opposite  way 
to  the  white  man,  so  often  do  words  and  phrases  bear 
to  them  exactly  the  opposite  meaning  to  what  one 
would  suppose.  I  remember  hearing  a  white  man 
calling  out  to  his  boy  several  times,  "Fasten  up  my 
tent,"  "No,  fasten  it  up,"  and  then  in  English,  "Curse 
the  boy;  the  more  I  tell  him  to  fasten  it  up,  the  wider 
he  opens  it."  He  was  using  the  word  for  "tie  up," 
which  the  boy  interpreted  to  mean  tie  back  the  door. 

There  is  a  proverb,  "He  who  is  not  near  when  the 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS    283 

tree  falls,  the  tree  will  not  fall  on  him,"  which  to  the 
ordinary  European  would  mean  that  one  should  stand 
clear  of  danger.  The  meaning  really  is  that  the  lucky 
ones  are  those  who  are  near,  as  they  will  have  first 
pick  of  the  fruit,  it  being  the  custom  of  the  economi- 
cally minded  native,  when  he  finds  a  fruit  tree  in  the 
bush,  to  fell  the  whole  tree  in  order  to  get  the  fruit .  How- 
ever, one  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  appeared  to  have  noticed 
the  double  entendre  as  I  have  described  it  in  the  "Land 
of  Zinj,"  for  he  sent  this  proverb  as  a  message  to  a 
chief  who  had  been  refractory  some  time  before. 
Imagining  that  he  was  pardoned  and  that  he  was 
about  to  have  honours  and  presents  showered  on 
him,  he  hurried  to  Zanzibar  and  was  put  in  prison,, 
where  he  died. 

Another  proverb  particularly  applicable  to  the 
hunter  is  "He  who  has  not  a  sharp  knife  will  not 
obtain  meat."  When  an  animal  is  shot,  there  is  a 
rush  for  the  carcass  and  everybody  begins  helping 
himself  to  joints.  Any  one  who  had  to  stop  to 
sharpen  his  knife  would  find,  when  he  had  finished, 
that  the  best  part  of  the  meat  had  already  been  appro- 
priated. 

The  native  is  often  insufferable  in  his  begging. 
I  believe  he  really  respects  you  the  more  if  you  refuse 
him  blimtly  and  point  blank.  However,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  do  so  and  it  makes  one  feel  extremely  mean 
grudging    a   handful    of    salt    or    some    trifle   asked 


284     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

for.  Abyssinia  is  perhaps  the  worst  country  to  travel 
in  in  this  respect.  One  is  asked  for  a  present  by 
almost  every  one  that  one  meets  on  the  road,  and  yet 
they  are  a  people  who  will,  on  occasion,  show  very  real 
and  genuine  hospitality  without  looking  for  a  return. 

When  approaching  a  spot  at  which  I  intended  to 
camp  once,  I  was  accosted  by  two  men  who  went 
through  the  usual  polite  inquiries  after  my  health 
and  the  safety  of  my  journey  and  followed  me  till  I 
dismounted.  I  had  heard  one  say  to  the  other  in  a 
low  voice,  "We  will  go  with  the  foreigner  and  ask 
him  for  some  money." 

The  usual  formula  was  to  first  expatiate  on  their 
poverty  and  my  apparent  riches  and  then  ask  for 
something.  I  determined  to  be  first  in  the  field  this 
time,  so  before  they  had  time  to  make  the  usual  request, 
I  dilated  at  length  on  my  poverty,  the  expenses  I 
had  been  put  to,  how  I  had  lost  all  my  camels,  and  how 
various  other  misfortunes  had  befallen  me.  Not 
knowing  what  was  coming  they  expressed  themselves 
as  deeply  sympathetic.  I  then  went  on  to  comment 
on  their  lordly  and  well-dressed  appearance  and  finally 
asked  if  they  would  give  me  a  dollar.  With  sickly 
smiles  they  shuffled  off. 

At  different  times  I  have  had  various  natives  to 
teach  me  to  read  and  write  Arabic,  Amharic,  and 
Swahili.  At  an  early  stage  of  this  tuition,  the  same 
great  thought  has  almost  invariably  occurred  to  all 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS     285 

these  stray  teachers.  With  an  air  of  great  mystery, 
they  produce  a  piece  of  paper  and  say  that  they  have 
brought  me  something  to  read.  It  is  a  request  for 
a  present  which  it  has  occurred  to  them  could  be 
more  deHcately  put  in  writing. 

Different  tribes  have  different  ideas  about  what  is 
brave  and  what  is  not,  whilst  others  have  not  the 
least  compunction  in  admitting  that  they  are  cowards. 
Although  many  are  very  plucky,  their  standards  are 
very  different  to  ours. 

I  remember  hearing  a  discussion  amongst  some 
porters  of  different  tribes  about  cowards  and  people 
being  afraid,  with  instances  given.  At  last  one  said, 
"WeU,  I  do  not  call  a  man  who  runs  away  a  coward; 
he  may  be  a  very  brave  man,  but  he  just  runs  away. 
I  call  a  man  who  cannot  run  away  a  coward.  The 
other  has  heart  and  pluck."  Then  he  gave  us  an 
instance  in  point,  an  incident  from  the  fights  against 
the  Sudanese  mutineers  in  Uganda.  Two  Sudanese 
were,  he  said,  sitting  up  a  tree  with  their  rifles  watch- 
ing. They  went  to  sleep  or  were  not  sufi&ciently  on 
the  lookout,  and  were  surprised  by  a  party.  One 
leaped  from  the  tree  into  a  bush  and  got  away,  but  the 
other  was  transfixed  with  fear  and  could  not  move. 
He  had  his  rifle  but  he  could  not  use  it  nor  could  he 
move  or  speak  from  fear. 

In  Abyssinia  I  met  a  venerable  and  pious  Galla 
Haji.     I  was  told  he  was  making  a  pilgrimage  to  a 


286     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

distant  shrine,  having  already  made  that  to  Makka. 
His  silence  and  grave  demeanour,  whilst  all  the  Abys- 
sinians  present  asked  me  incessantly  for  all  manner  of 
presents,  impressed  me  very  much.  Here,  at  least, 
was  a  man  above  such  sordid,  worldly  things  —  one  with 
his  eyes  ever  fixed  on  the  hereafter. 

On  leaving  the  place,  I  said  that  while  everybody 
else  had  been  constantly  worrying  me  about  what 
I  was  going  to  give  them,  he  alone  had  not  asked  for 
anything,  and  therefore  I  hoped  that  he  would  accept 
some  presents  I  had  prepared  for  him.  This  speech 
was  translated  to  him  in  Galla,  as  it  appeared  that 
he  could  speak  no  other  language,  which  might  have 
been  the  reason  for  his  silence.  He  took  the  presents 
and  through  the  same  medium  he  replied,  without 
thanking  me  for  what  he  had  received,  that  as  he  was 
going  on  a  long  journey,  he  thought  that  I  ought  to 
give  him  some  money  as  well. 

When  I  first  became  acquainted  with  the  African, 
this  want  of  thanks  and  immediate  request  for  more, 
which  so  often  follows  a  present  given  when  the  receiver 
had  no  right  to  expect  anything,  used  to  irritate  me 
considerably.  I  soon  found  that  I  was  judging  the 
native  by  a  western  standard  far  too  high  to  be  appli- 
cable to  him.  When  judged  by  an  animal  standard, 
the  request  became  quite  reasonable  and  explicable. 
Your  dog  is  lying  by  your  chair  as  good  as  gold  whilst 
you   are   having   dinner.     Now   give   him   something 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS     287 

from  the  table  which  he  has  no  reason  to  expect.  In- 
stead of  taking  it  gratefully,  offering  profuse  thanks, 
and  going  to  lie  down,  again,  he  will  gobble  it  up  and 
worry  you  through  the  rest  of  the  meal  asking  for 
more.  The  thought  which  has  occurred  to  him  is 
probably,  "Here  is  a  decent  sort  of  fellow  who  has 
just  given  me  something;  if  I  wait  here  and  ask  him 
he  will  probably  give  me  some  more." 

So  it  is  with  the  native.  You  have  just  given  him 
something  for  nothing,  and  if  this  is  your  custom,  there 
is  no  reason  why  you  should  not  do  it  again.  In  any 
case  he  loses  nothing  by  asking.  The  only  thing  to  do 
is  to  teU  him  the  story  of  the  hyaena  and  the  moon- 
beam, which  is  the  African  equivalent  for  the  dog  and 
the  bone. 

I  heard  some  of  my  porters  discussing  one  day  the 
strength  of  the  Abyssinians  and  the  numbers  of  men 
and  rifles  they  possessed.  They  were  wondering  if 
we  would  be  able  to  take  their  country  and  were  rather 
inclined  to  doubt  it.  My  head  man,  Abdi,  than  whom 
few  more  loyal  subjects  of  the  British  crown  exist  in 
Africa,  interrupted  their  conversation.  "Do  not  ask," 
he  said,  "if  the  British  are  able  to  take  Abyssinia,  but 
if  they  want  to.  I  do  not  believe  all  these  stories  one 
hears  of  the  strength  of  people.  When  it  comes  to  the 
point,  what  do  they  do  ?  Do  you  remember  what  we 
heard  about  the  Nandi,  and  then  when  we  went  to 
their  country  they  all  ran  away?    Was  it  not  said 


288     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

formerly  that  Zanzibar  could  not  be  taken  except  if 
the  Kingi  (king)  himself  came  to  take  it  with  all  his 
strength  ?  Then  what  happened  ?  I  forget  if  it  was 
a  corporal  or  a  sergeant-major  who  took  it." 

Another  head  man  said  that  he  had  heard  that  it 
was  written  in  a  book  (the  suspicion  of  being  extracted 
from  a  book  gives  any  statement  an  air  of  truth  and 
accuracy)  that  if  one  meets  a  snake  and  an  Abyssinian 
together  on  the  path,  one  should  kill  the  Abyssinian 
first  and  the  snake  afterwards.  It  was  also  written 
of  them  that  the  elephant,  the  Abyssinian,  and  the  lo- 
cust were  all  the  same,  as  to  being  without  number. 

I  do  not  know  why  the  elephant  should  be  considered 
so  numerous  by  the  native.  He  has  no  head  for  figures 
and  never  follows  a  statement  to  its  logical  conclusion. 
He  sees  a  great  herd  of  elephant  and  thinks  that  they 
are  without  number,  and,  therefore,  the  same  as  locust, 
who  are  without  number.  He  would  not  foUow  up 
the  argument  by  thinking  that  a  tract  of  country 
which  would  support  one  elephant  in  food  would  sup- 
port a  million  or  more  locusts. 

I  am  told  that  not  many  days  from  Mombasa  there 
is  a  big  snake  called  Mwanyika  who  inhabits  a 
lake  and  eats  fish,  and  men,  and  hippos,  but  he  chiefly 
lives  on  hippo,  of  which  he  will  eat  a  hundred  a  day. 
Such  a  bold  statement  is  quite  enough  for  the  native. 
The  suspicious-minded  European  begins  at  once  to 
probe  the  statement.     If  the  snake  eats  a  hundred 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS   AND   IDEAS     289 

hippo,  a  day,  allowing  a  certain  amount  for  fish-days 
and  human-being  days,  he  will  eat  about  twenty-five 
thousand  hippos  a  year.  To  keep  up  this  supply 
would  busily  engage,  roughly,  one  hundred  thousand 
hippo,  breeding  as  fast  as  they  could.  Taking  a  map 
of  East  Africa,  we  fail  to  find  a  lake  near  Mombasa  big 
enough  to  support  this  number  of  hippos;  even  Lake 
Victoria  would  not.  One  is  therefore  compelled  to 
doubt  the  existence  of  Mwanyika,  or  at  any  rate  to 
think  that  his  appetite  has  been  overrated. 

A  frequent  statement  I  have  heard  made  by  natives 
is  that  lion  are  more  numerous  in  the  rains.  Lion 
have  forced  themselves  on  his  attention  more  at  that 
time,  so  he  says  there  are  more.  It  never  occurs  to  him 
to  think  where  all  the  extra  lions  come  from  or  go  to. 
Anyhow,  with  the  miraculous  always  at  his  disposal, 
he  never  has  to  follow  an  argument  farther  than  one 
step  and  there  it  can  end  in  a  supernatural  phenomenon. 
However,  he  does  not  even  trouble  to  assign  such  an 
occurrence  to  a  miracle.  If  asked  where  they  have 
come  from,  he  says,  "How  should  I  know?"  and  dis- 
misses the  matter  from  his  mind. 

Talking  about  the  Somaliland  Mullah,  I  was  told 
that  there  was  a  prophecy  that  after  the  Mahdi  seven 
prophets  will  arise.  Of  these  the  first  one  is  the  Mullah. 
After  the  seventh,  there  will  be  a  general  Tchad  or 
holy  war. 

I  cannot  imagine  a  more  horrible  situation  in  which 


290    HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

to  be  than  to  find  oneself  in  the  power  of  an  African, 
when  he  knows  it.  Fortunately,  he  is  very  easily 
bluffed  and  very  superstitious.  If  he  sees  you  alone, 
far  from  help,  and  in  a  position  of  which  he  is  evidently 
master,  some  lurking  suspicion  must  enter  his  mind 
that  things  cannot  be  quite  as  they  seem;  you  must  be 
counting  on  some  force  of  which  he  is  unaware.  A 
native  of  another  tribe,  in  a  similar  position,  would  be 
running  away,  which  would  inspire  him  with  confidence. 
What  more  natural  than  to  suppose  that  you  have  some 
powerful  medicine  or  magic  at  your  disposal  and  it  is 
for  this  reason  that  you  order  him  about  so  freely? 

Even  with  the  more  educated  African,  bluff  is  a  great 
factor.  Coming  down  from  Addis  Ababa  to  Dirre 
Daua,  I  was  much  exasperated  by  the  demands  for 
presents  from  various  persons  who  made  a  living 
out  of  blackmailing  anybody  who  passed,  I  was  at 
the  end  of  my  journey  and  also  at  an  end  of  my  re- 
sources, so  I  refused  to  give  anything  except  adequate 
returns  for  any  present  brought  me  or  service  rendered. 
At  Dirre  Daua  I  had  a  tremendous  business  to  get  my 
things  through  the  customs,  I  could  not  afford  to  give 
more  than  a  few  dollars  bakshish,  which  I  did,  and 
finally  got  all  my  things  on  the  train  for  nothing. 

As  the  train  moved  off,  I  breathed  freely,  for  I 
thought  that  it  was  all  over,  and  no  unexpected  demands 
could  now  crop  up  between  here  and  Aden,  where  I 
could  cash  a  draft. 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS  291 

After  travelling  a  few  hours,  we  stopped  and  descended 
for  lunch,  I  imagined  that  I  had  left  Abyssinia  behind 
forever,  but  it  appeared  that  we  were  still  in  Abys- 
sinian territory.  Whilst  eating  my  dejeuner^  a 
man  came  in  and  asked  me  if  the  "Senegalese" 
in  the  train  belonged  to  me.  He  referred  to  my  Wany- 
amwezi  porters  but  the  Abyssinians  call  most  natives 
they  do  not  know  Senegalese,  as  a  Russian  and  French 
expedition  once  brought  some  into  the  country. 

Imagining  that  he  was  the  bearer  of  some  interesting 
communication  concerning  them,  such  as  that  one  of 
them  had  fallen  out  and  broken  his  neck,  or  that  they 
were  having  a  fight,  I  immediately  admitted  having 
some  men  in  the  train.  Instead  of  any  such  intel- 
ligence, however,  he  said  that  I  would  have  to  pay  on 
them  before  they  could  be  allowed  to  proceed  any 
farther.     "Oh,  go  away,"  I  replied,  and  he  went  off. 

Presently  a  small  procession  appeared ;  amongst 
others  was  the  local  Gerezmach  or  Fitorari.  "These 
Senegalese,"  he  began  in  Amharic,  but  I  said,  "Go 
away,"  again.  "You  will  have  to  pay  before  they  can 
go  on."  "Go  away,  I  am  eating,"  I  said.  "But  you 
must  pay,  or  they  will  not  be  allowed  to  proceed,"  he 
said. 

When  I  had  come  in,  I  had  coiled  up  my  rhino-hide 
whip  and  hung  it  on  a  peg  behind  my  chair.  I  now 
looked  at  the  distinguished  official,  who  wished  to 
charge  me  export  duty  on  my  men  returning  to  their 


292     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

own  country,  as  if  to  appraise  his  value,  and  then 
turned  very  slowly,  took  down  the  whip,  and  lovingly 
uncoiled  the  lash.  He  did  not  wait  to  see  what  I  was 
about  to  do  with  it,  after  it  was  uncoiled. 

I  finished  my  lunch  slowly  and  deliberately  but  in 
reality  in  great  trepidation  as  to  what  would  happen 
next.  I  had  threatened  a  high  official  with  personal 
chastisement;  it  was  his  country  and  he  was  in  com- 
mand here.  After  lunch,  I  took  my  seat  in  the  train 
and  uttered  a  sigh  of  relief  when  it  once  more  started 
and  this  time  really  took  me  and  my  empty  purse  and 
my  "Senegalese  "  safely  out  of  the  country. 

On  the  road  to  and  from  Dirre  Daua,  one  meets 
constant  streams  of  baggage  mules  carrying  loads 
backwards  and  forwards  from  Addis  Ababa,  chiefly 
calico  and  ammunition  on  the  upward  journey  and 
coffee  and  skins  on  the  downward. 

I  can  never  think  of  the  Dirre  Daua  road  without  re- 
calling these  long  lines  of  sore-backed  animals,  and  the 
constant  whacks  and  objurgations  of  the  mule  drivers 
and  the  querulous  requests  that  the  beast  will  render 
information  concerning  its  parentage  which  accom- 
panies each  whack.  Strange  to  say,  the  mule  always 
treats  these  anxious  inquiries  in  contemptuous  silence. 

Once,  after  shooting  an  elephant,  I  heard  the  natives 
with  me  saying  that  it  was  a  very  lucky  elephant  and 
had  fallen  very  well.  I  asked  why  and  they  said,  "  Oh, 
it   has   fallen   looking   towards   our   way   home."     I 


CURIOUS  AFRICAN  SAYINGS  AND   IDEAS    293 

suppose  to  the  native  mind,  somehow,  it  appeared  that 
it  was  easier  to  carry  the  meat  back  if  it  was  already 
"looking"  in  that  direction. 

The  belief  in  the  werewolf,  under  different  disguises, 
is  very  common  the  world  over,  both  amongst  civilised 
and  savage  peoples.  The  Somali  believes  in  a  being 
called  the  Orgobi,  who  is  a  man-leopard;  by  day  it  is 
a  man,  and  by  night  a  leopard.  It  seizes  people  by 
night,  the  intimate  knowledge  of  a  kraal  and  its  hab- 
itants being  gained  in  the  guise  of  a  man  by  day. 

The  Somalis  also  believe  that  people  can  turn  them- 
selves into  hyaenas  at  night.  A  man  alleged  to  be  in 
possession  of  such  a  gift  was  brought  for  enlistment  in 
the  Somali  irregulars  in  1900.  He  explained  that  the 
gift  was  not  a  common  one,  and,  as  his  services  would 
be  most  valuable  to  the  force  in  scouting  at  night,  he 
required  rather  more  than  the  ordinary  pay;  in  fact 
he  estimated  his  services  at  thirty  rupees  a  month. 

An  agreement  was  accordingly  made  that  he  should 
be  enlisted  at  this  rate,  in  return  for  which  he  consented 
to  turn  himself  into  a  hyaena,  when  required,  and  scout 
for  the  force  in  this  guise. 

Before  the  agreement  was  finally  closed,  it  was  ex- 
plained to  him  that  as  this  rate  of  pay  was  above  the 
average,  the  government  would  like  to  ascertain  for 
certain  that  he  really  was  in  the  possession  of  the 
powers  he  claimed.  He  might  be  an  impostor  or  he 
might  have  forgotten  how  to  do  it.   Would  he  mind  just 


294     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

turning  into  a  hyaena  in  the  corner,  so  that  we  could 
see  that  he  was  still  in  good  practice  ?  To  this  he 
replied  that  it  was  against  his  principles  to  change 
into  a  hyaena  in  public.  He  was  used  to  going  out 
into  the  night,  to  do  it,  but  we  need  have  no  fear, 
he  was  well  versed  in  the  art  and  would  not  fail  us. 

The  Somalis  who  had  brought  him  thought  that  the 
European  was  unduly  sceptical  about  the  man's  powers. 
"It  will  be  a  very  good  thing  indeed  for  us,"  they  said, 
"if  we  can  get  this  man  to  accompany  us,  as  he  will 
gain  much  information  for  us  as  to  the  enemy's  where- 
abouts." 

Nothing  could  prevail  on  the  man  to  give  a  proof 
of  his  powers,  so  at  last  an  ofi&cer  said  to  him,  "Look 
here,  here  are  thirty  rupees  and  here  is  a  chicote.  If 
you  turn  into  a  hyaena  now,  the  thirty  rupees  are 
yours.  If  you  do  not,  you  will  have  thirty  chicote  for 
being  a  liar  and  trying  to  deceive  the  government." 

However,  he  was  a  clever  rogue.  He  explained 
that  he  would  be  delighted  to  turn  at  once  into  a  hyaena 
and  gain  the  thirty  rupees,  but  before  he  could  effect 
the  change  it  was  necessary  to  eat  certain  herbs  of  the 
bush;  he  would  go  immediately  and  fetch  the  herbs 
and  give  an  ocular  demonstration  of  his  powers.  So 
sa3dng  he  ran  off  to  fetch  his  herbs  and  was  never  seen 
again;  perhaps  he  changed  into  a  hyaena  and  forgot 
how  to  change  back.     Allah  knows. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

CAMP  HINTS 

In  my  "Game  of  East  Africa,"  I  gave  some  simple 
hints  to  add  to  one's  comfort  and  convenience  in  camp 
and  on  trek.  When  I  overflowed  my  chapter,  I 
stopped,  promising  some  more  in  the  future,  and  here 
they  are.  As  stated  before,  I  do  not  claim  to  be  the 
original  inventor  of  such  hints,  but  have  picked  up  the 
majority  from  others.  However,  as  they  may  be  of  use 
to  someone  else,  I  pass  them  on. 

In  a  semi-civilised  country,  such  as  northern  Abys- 
sinia, in  which  thieves  are  plentiful  and  bold,  greater 
precautions  against  theft  are  desirable  than  amongst 
the  unsophisticated  Central  African.  There  is  little 
to  prevent  an  intelligent  and  enterprising  thief  from 
crawling  up  to  your  tent  on  a  dark  night  and  stealthily 
feeling  under  the  flies.  As  the  first  things  he  would  go 
for  are  your  rifles,  the  last  things  you  wish  to  lose,  it  is 
well  to  put  these  in  a  safe  place.  Resting  on  a  camp 
table  or  chair  in  the  centre  of  the  tent  is  fairly  safe, 
but  perhaps  the  best  place  of  all  is  to  have  them  slung 
from  the  roof.  There  are  generally  hooks  attached  to 
the  top  of  the  tent,  whose  function  has  so  far  remained 

295 


296     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

obscure  to  me,  but  they  serve  well  for  this  purpose ; 
your  revolver  is,  of  course,  in  bed  with  you. 

If  you  travel  with  the  ordinary  hurricane  lamp,  it 
can  act  as  a  night  light,  if  turned  low  just  before  you 
go  to  sleep.  It  will  remain  burning  all  night  with  but 
little  expenditure  of  oil.  If  there  is  an  alarm  or  any 
noise,  it  can  be  turned  up  in  a  moment  to  enable  you 
to  investigate. 

When  a  sudden  storm  of  rain  bursts  at  night,  many 
conscientious  men  think  that  they  have  to  rush  out  in 
pajamas  and  get  wet  through,  slackening  the  ropes  of 
their  tent.  If  you  lie  comfortably  tucked  up  in  bed 
and  say  nothing  about  it,  almost  always  some  faithful 
native,  who,  living  in  a  leaky  hut  all  his  life,  is  less 
averse  and  more  inured  to  wettings  than  you  are,  will 
come  and  drive  in  your  tent  pegs  as  they  get  rooted 
out.  However,  in  the  case  of  the  rain  starting  with  a 
light  shower,  which  afterwards  develops  into  a  down- 
pour, the  faithful  savage  is  generally  not  of  much  use, 
for  he,  like  all  other  natives,  thinks  that  tent  ropes 
should  be  pulled  as  taut  as  possible  before  rain.  Having 
made  you  safe,  as  he  imagines,  by  straining  every  rope 
to  its  utmost,  he  will  go  off  to  his  own  shelter. 

Then  comes  the  downpour  and  you  are  unwilling 
to  call  to  the  faithful  savage  to  return,  but  even  now 
there  is  still  an  alternative  to  getting  wet  left  to  you. 
If  you  scratch  a  hole  a  few  inches  deep  beside  the  foot 
of  each  pole  and  shift  the  end  into  it,  you  will  have 


CAMP  HINTS  297 


slightly  slackened  every  rope  in  the  tent  and  if  the 
pegs  are  firm  you  will  be  fairly  safe. 

The  sportsman,^  traveller,  or  collector  usually  has  a 
lot  of  odd  paraphernalia,  such  as  rifles,  cartridge 
bags,  haversacks,  camera,  field-glasses,  collecting  appa- 
ratus, etc.,  being  carried  by  various  boys,  guides,  and 
men. 

When  he  halts  he  wishes  these  collected  in  one  place. 
The  rifles  will  probably  be  rested  against  a  tree  trunk, 
untfl  they  are  knocked  over,  to  the  detriment  of  the 
foresights,  whilst  the  other  things  are  hung  up  on  odd 
branches  or  piled  on  the  ground,  which  may  be  damp. 
It  is  very  convenient  to  have  a  little  bamboo  tripod 
on  the  top  of  a  convenient  load.  When  you  halt,  this 
is  immediately  stood  up  and  all  the  various  articles  are 
slimg  to  it  or  rested  against  it.  This  insures  that  they 
will  not  be  mislaid,  as  they  may  be  if  hung  on  various 
branches;  or  trodden  on,  as  is  likely  to  happen  if  they 
are  on  the  ground.  They  are  all  gathered  in  one 
place  and  anything  required  can  be  easily  found. 

Yeast  for  baking  bread  may  be  made  out  of  banana 
wine  or  other  native  spirits.  If  your  cook  is  absent, 
drunk,  or  otherwise  unavaflable,  and  you  want  bread 
in  a  hurry,  unless  you  are  of  a  very  ambitious  nature, 
chupaties  are  the  best  things  to  make. 

First,  wash  the  top  or  side  of  a  chop  box  and  then 
make  some  dough.  I  suppose  everybody  knows  how  to 
make  dough;  but  if  you  have  not  tried  before,  add  the 


298     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 


water  by  very  small  quantities  at  a  time  and  always 
keep  more  flour  in  the  basin  than  would  appear  to  be  re- 
quired for  the  amount  of  water  used.  Having  made  your 
dough,  sprinkle  some  flour  on  the  top  of  the  washed  box, 
put  a  lump  of  dough  on  it,  and,  taking  a  bottle  as  rolling 
pin,  roll  it  out,  first  sprinkling  more  flour  on  the  top  of 
the  dough  to  prevent  it  sticking  to  the  bottle.  Knead 
it  up  and  roll  it  out  again  several  times,  both  from  north 

to  south,  and  east  to  west, 
or  else  you  get  a  long,  thin 
strip  rather  than  a  round 
disk.  The  last  two  times 
you  roll  it  out,  put  on  a  few 
drops  of  oil  or  fat  before 
kneading  it  up  again. 
Then  roll  it  out  for  the  last 
time  and  when  you  have  ac- 
quired a  disk  more  or  less 
round  and  flat  and  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
thickness,  put  some  oil  or 
fat  in  a  frying-pan  and  fry 
the  chupaty,  turning  it 
over  tin  both  sides  are 
brown.  The  only  thing 
left  to  do  now  is  to  take  it  out  and  eat  it.  It  is 
best  hot. 
A  brother  officer  in  an  African  battalion   showed 


CAMP  HINTS 


299 


me  a  simple  and  easy  method  of  making  a  revolving 
holster,  which  has  served  me  on  more  than  one 
occasion.  It  can  be  made  out  of  any  old  piece  of 
skin  or  hide,  so  long  as  it  is  not  too  thick,  such  as  a 
piece  of  bushbuck  or  impala  skin.  Of  course  a  bit 
of  tanned  leather,  if  obtainable,  is  superior.  The  skin 
is  cut  in  the  shape  of  the  first  illustration. 

The  upper  part  is  then  folded  at  the  dotted  line  a  and 
sewn  with  a  strip  of  leather  or  bit  of  boot-lace  along 
the  edges  be. 

The  top  is  now  folded  over  a  dotted  line  d  and  the 
end  pushed  through  slits  cut  in  the  lower  part.  The 
holster  is  now  complete 


—Be/f  passes 
through  here. 


and  the  waist-belt  is 
passed  between  the  upper 
and  lower  flaps  where  the 
arrow  is  shown. 

There  is  no  sewing  to 
be  done  or  to  come  un- 
stitched except  the  short 
trip  from  6  to  c  and  even 
this  could  be  fastened  with  a  couple  of  metal  clips 
if  preferred. 

In  hot  and  damp  climates  it  is  not,  as  a  rule,  possible 
to  hang  meat  until  it  is  tender.  Rubbing  it  over  with 
pawpaw  leaves  is  said  to  make  it  tender.  A  better 
way,  and  one  which  does  weU  with  the  African  chicken, 
is  to  parboil  it  for  one  hour  and  then  hang  it  up  for 


300     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

twenty-four  hours,  when  it  may  be  cooked  and  will  be 
found  to  be  quite  tender. 

The  method  usual  amongst  Africans  of  "blocking  the 
paths"  is  very  useful  to  indicate  the  road  to  a  caravan 
or  stragglers  following  behind.  The  ordinary  African 
would  never  think  of  tampering  with  these  signs;  in 
fact  I  have  often  seen  the  branches  I  left  in  the  way 
still  there  weeks  afterwards. 

However,  if  there  is  any  reason  to  suppose  that  they 
will  be  altered,  a  better  way  of  showing  the  road  taken 
is  to  pick  a  well-leafed  branch  and,  just  after  any  fork 
in  the  road,  to  strip  it  of  leaves  as  one  walks  along,  as 
if  one  was  peeling  it  for  a  riding  switch.  The  trail  of 
leaves  will  then  indicate  the  path  taken. 

The  value  of  Keating' s  powder  to  the  traveller  cannot 
be  overestimated.  Some  sprinkled  on  the  head  and 
shoulders,  or  better  still  on  a  sheet  of  paper  and  blown 
off  it  into  the  air,  will  prevent  flies  from  settling  on  one. 
Sprinkled  on  the  window-sills  and  thresholds  of  doors, 
it  will,  in  a  great  measure,  keep  out  undesirable  insects. 
Sprinkled  in  boxes  it  will  keep  out  ants. 

To  soften  a  skin,  as  for  use  in  the  holster  described 
above,  soak  it  in  water  for  an  hour  or  so  after  skinning 
it  and  then  rub  it  with  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  pow- 
dered alum  and  rock  salt. 

If  sulphuric  acid  can  be  obtained,  a  better  way  of 
dressing  a  skin  is  to  scrape  it  as  clean  as  possible  and 
then  immerse  it  for  twenty-four  hours  in  a  barrel  con- 


Oryx 


GrRAFFE 

Standing  on  the  right  of  picture. 


CAMP  HINTS  301 


taining  sulphuric  acid,  salt,  and  water  in  the  following 
proportions :  — 

10  oz.  sulphuric  acid 
10  lb.  salt 
40  qt.  water. 

To  clean  and  soften  the  hard  native  bean,  they  should 
be  soaked  in  cold  water  for  twenty-four  hours  and  then 
taken  out  and  boiling  water  poured  over  them,  which 
will  cause  the  outer  skins  to  come  off. 

When  one  builds  a  hut  or  shelter,  one  is  much  worried 
after  a  short  time  by  a  snowlike  fall  of  fine  white 
powder.  This  is  caused  by  wood-borers.  It  covers 
everything  and  sometimes  induces  a  kind  of  hay  fever. 
It  can  be  mitigated  to  a  certain  extent  by  soaking  the 
roofing  poles  in  water,  tiU  they  become  well  sodden, 
before  using  them,  as  after  this  they  are  not  so  readily 
attacked  by  wood-borers.  There  are  certain  kinds  of 
hard  woods  which  they  hardly  attack  at  all.  These 
can  be  discovered  by  noticing  in  a  native  village  any 
pole  which  has  not  been  bored  and  asking  its  native 
name.  I  remember  that  in  Nyasaland  there  was  a 
kind  of  ebony  called  Mpani  with  a  hard  black  core 
which  the  borers  never  attacked.  I  also  made  a  list 
of  several  others,  but  the  above  was  the  most  useful  for 
roofing  poles,  as  it  was  generally  abundant. 

As  to  food  stores,  one  learns  much  about  the  relative 
value  of  different  wares  as  one  goes  on,  and  I  should  like 


302     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

to  give  the  result  of  my  experience,  only  it  would  read 
more  like  an  advertisement  column  than  anything  else. 
I  try  to  get  the  greater  part  of  them  in  tins  and  bottles 
that  wiU  be  of  service  after  they  have  been  emptied  of 
their  original  contents.  Certain  jam  jars  serve  very 
well  as  tumblers  or  can  be  used  again  for  butter  or  other 
things  if  they  are  provided  with  screw  tops. 

It  is  very  convenient  on  trek  to  have  a  couple  of 
wickerwork  or  basketwork-covered  bottles  provided 
with  stoppers  fitting  with  a  lever  catch.  One  can  be 
used  for  carrying  milk  while  a  bottle  of  lime-juice  or 
whiskey  when  opened  can  be  poured  into  the  second. 
Their  advantage  over  an  ordinary  bottle  is  that  they 
do  not  break  readily  and  they  can  be  opened  easily, 
whereas  a  cork  must  be  drawn  or  an  ordinary  stopper 
falls  out  when  shaken  up  in  transit.  As  the  rubber 
washers  about  the  stoppers  perish  quickly,  it  is  as  well 
to  have  a  few  spare  ones. 

Rectangular  tins  are  more  economical  of  space  than 
round  ones  and,  if  they  have  serviceable  lids,  are  more 
useful  for  packing  things  in  afterwards.  Some 
kinds  of  bottles  are  especially  useful  for  collecting 
insects. 

The  general  box  of  soup  squares  offers  a  great  variety 
in  the  numbers  of  names  and  the  different  coloured 
papers  in  which  the  contents  are  wrapped  up.  They 
appear,  however,  to  offer  but  one  distinct  variety  of 
flavour  and  that  can  be  only  described  as  soup  square. 


CAMP  HINTS  303 


Good  packets  of  condensed  soups,  as  used  by  the  Congo 
government,  may  be  had  in  France. 

Meat  extract  or  juice,  to  be  used  cold,  is  an  excellent 
thing  for  waterless  countries.  When  one  is  unable  to 
eat  and  has  not  sufficient  water  to  waste  by  boiling, 
so  as  to  make  tea  or  soup,  some  of  this  extract  can  be 
poured  into  one's  limited  allowance  of  cold  water  and 
drunk  like  that  without  further  trouble.  Even  where 
water  is  available,  a  cold  soup  is  very  pleasant  in  the 
hot  weather  and  this  can  be  simply  made  out  of  meat 
juice  with  a  little  Worcester  sauce  and  salt  added. 

All  tinned  stores  should  be  taken  out  of  their  tins 
immediately  on  being  opened.  By  doing  so,  they  avoid 
getting  a  tinny  flavour,  whilst  if  such  things  as  fish,  etc., 
are  left  long  in  their  opened  tins  there  is  always  a 
chance  of  ptomaine  poisoning.  Tinned  vegetables 
often  are  improved  after  they  have  been  removed  from 
the  tin  and  kept  twenty-four  hours.  If  there  is  any 
uncertainty  about  any  tinned  food  and  one  is  too 
short  to  be  able  to  throw  it  away,  it  should  at  least  be 
cooked,  which  will  be  less  risky  than  consuming  it 
cold. 

When  I  am  likely  to  be  out  all  day,  I  often  get  my 
cook  to  make  some  meat  pasties  for  me.  These  are 
articles  shaped  like  jam  puffs  but  with  meat  in  the  place 
of  jam.  They  can  be  put  in  the  pocket  and  consumed 
as  one  walks  along  without  more  ado. 

An  excellent  lantern,  for  marching  at  night,  may  be 


304     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

made  out  of  an  empty  gin  bottle  (gin  because  they  are 
plain  glass  bottles).  Take  some  cotton  soaked  in 
paraffine  and  wrap  it  neatly  round  the  bottle  about  an 
inch  from  the  bottom.  Set  a  Hght  to  it  and  just  before 
it  bums  out,  when  the  glass  under  it  \v]]l  be  thoroughly 
heated,  plunge  the  bottle  quickly  into  cold  water.  If 
the  bottom  is  now  gently  tapped,  it  should  break  off 
cleanly  at  the  place  at  which  was  the  cotton  wrap- 
ping. 

Now  take  your  bottomless  bottle  by  the  neck  and 
slip  a  candle  into  it  so  that  the  end  rests  in  the  broad 
part  of  the  neck.  The  lantern  is  then  complete.  It 
is  sometimes  a  Uttle  difficult  to  Hght  the  candle, 
especially  if  it  is  short,  without  burning  one's  fingers, 
but  a  Httle  ingenuity  will  overcome  this.  Once  ht  it 
will  not  blow  out;  I  have  walked  for  miles  at  night  hold- 
ing such  a  lantern  by  the  neck. 

By  wTapping  the  cotton  round  the  middle  of  a  bottle 
and  going  through  the  same  procedure,  a  tumbler  or 
jam  jar  wiR  result.  The  upper  part  or  neck  of  a  bottle 
may  be  similarly  detached  to  form  a  funnel  or  tube.  A 
useful  fireplace,  for  use  in  a  hut  or  tent,  can  be  made  out 
of  an  old  kerosene  oil  tin.  This  v^ith  holes  bored  in  its 
sides  can  be  filled  mth  red-hot  embers  from  a  fire  out- 
side and  brought  into  a  hut  ^\dthout  danger  of  setting 
fixe  to  it.  WTien  it  bums  do^m  it  can  be  replenished 
from  the  fire  outside.  If  it  is  required  for  use  in  a 
wooden-floored  room,  wdthout  a  fireplace,  a  piece  of 


CAMP  HINTS  305 


corrugated  iron  may  be  placed  on  the  floor  and  the 
impromptu  fireplace  on  the  top  of  this. 

A  circumstance  one  often  overlooks,  in  choosing  camp 
kit  or  house  effects  for  Africa,  is  the  utter  inability  of 
the  African  to  deal  with  a  screw.  He  always  tries  to 
force  it  at  the  wrong  angle  and  breaks  or  damages  the 
thread.  So  if  possible  no  articles,  such  as  pepper  pots, 
lamp  burners,  etc.,  which  are  likely  to  be  intrusted  to 
the  African  boy,  should  be  provided  with  screws  or 
screw  caps. 

On  trek  it  is  a  useful  thing  to  remember,  when  con- 
fronted by  the  problem  of  whether  to  march  on  farther 
or  halt  and  when  having  only  the  information  of  a  local 
guide  to  rely  on,  that  in  practically  no  case  do  the  real 
considerations  of  water,  etc.,  on  the  route  affect  the  reply 
of  the  latter.  If  he  says  that  there  is  no  water  in  front 
it  certainly  means  that  he,  the  guide,  does  not  wish  to 
proceed  that  day.  It  does  not  of  necessity  mean  that 
there  is  or  is  not  water.  If  he  says  that  there  is  an  im- 
passable river  by  a  certain  route  it  means  that  he,  for  rea- 
sons best  known  to  himself,  does  not  wish  to  take  that 
route.  There  may  be  a  big  river  or  there  may  not.  If 
one  remembers  this  always,  it  saves  one  being  annoyed 
the  next  day  when  one  finds  that  one  might  easily  have 
proceeded  another  hour  or  so,  as  wanted,  and  found  a 
good  site  for  camp. 

In  sending  to  a  kraal  for  milk,  if  one  thinks  that  there 
is  any  hope  of  being  able  to  obtain  clean  milk,  it  is  best 


3o6     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

to  send  two  vessels,  a  big  and  a  small,  say  a  kettle  or 
tea-pot  for  bringing  the  milk  back  and  a  small  cup  or 
basin  for  milking  into.  Failing  the  latter  the  native 
will  milk  into  his  dirty  gourd  and  then  pour  it  into 
your  receptacle. 

In  crossing  swamps  and  streams  one  often  finds  it 
very  slippery  and  uneven  going,  owing  to  elephant  foot- 
steps or  muddy  holes.  To  save  oneself  from  falling, 
one  clutches  wildly  at  the  surrounding  reeds  and  rushes 
and  afterwards  finds  a  kind  of  down  or  fur  on  one's 
hands.  These  can  be  scraped  off  fairly  well  with  a 
knife.  See  which  way  they  are  slanting,  if  any,  and 
then  scrape  a  knife  over  your  hand  against  them 
and  back  the  opposite  way.  Repeat  this  till  most  of 
them  appear  to  have  been  extracted.  I  am  told  that 
there  is  only  one  really  effective  way  of  removing 
these  miniature  spines  and  that  is  to  rub  your  hand 
in  a  black  man's  fuzzy  hair. 

An  unpleasant  feature  of  African  life  is  the  veldt 
sore.  If  one  has  been  living  on  a  poor  diet,  often  the 
least  scratch  or  prick  turns  into  a  sore  which  does  not 
readily  heal.  I  have  tried  many  remedies  for  these 
but  have  only  struck  one  really  good  one  and  that  was 
one  told  me  by  a  brother  sportsman  a  few  years  ago.  It 
is  called  Pazo,  an  ointment  really  produced  for  a  very 
different  purpose  than  that  of  curing  veldt  sores.  This 
is  generally  very  effective  —  quickly  drying  up  the  sore, 
especially  when  it  is  used  in  the  early  stages,    A  slower 


'CAMP  HINTS  307 


and  perhaps  surer  way  to  heal  these  sores  is  to  wash 
them  well  with  warm  water  and  then  pour  boiling  water 
over  a  piece  of  lint,  rinse  it  out  quickly,  and  bandage 
it  on  as  hot  as  can  be  borne.  Do  this  night  and  morn- 
ing and  it  gradually  reduces  the  inflammation  round  the 
sore  and  allows  it  to  heal. 

Shorts  are  so  comfortable  and  cool  for  wear  in  the 
bush,  that  I  have,  like  many  others,  always  worn  them. 
At  the  end  of  a  long  day  it  makes  a  lot  of  difference 
having  nothing  dragging  on  one's  knees,  as  with  trousers 
or  breeches,  but  being  able  to  move  in  perfect  freedom. 
However,  now  in  my  old  age  I  am  beginning  to  wonder 
if  the  disadvantage  of  having  one's  knees  knocked 
about  is  really  worth  the  advantages  gained,  espe- 
cially in  thick  bush.  Thorns  tear  one's  knees  and  grass 
cuts  them.  One  gets  wary  at  avoiding  thorny  plants 
but  one  cannot  always  be  watching  the  path.  In- 
sects bite  one  and  flies  settle  on  the  scratches  and  cuts. 
Some  of  the  thorns  and  grasses  I  believe  to  be  poisonous 
in  themselves.  In  any  case  the  wearer  of  shorts  has 
generally  to  put  up  with  an  interminable  succession 
of  sores,  cuts,  and  bruises  on  the  knee,  many  of  which, 
with  the  help  of  flies  and  poisonous  vegetation,  develop 
into  nasty  places. 

Some  of  these  rank  grasses  are  as  sharp  as  razors 
and  even  the  black  man  often  cuts  his  fingers  deeply 
by  unwarily  catching  hold  of  them. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  warn  the  hunter  that  he  should 


3o8     HUNTING   THE    ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

always  have  a  box  of  matches  with  him  and  that  he 
must  take  every  care  to  keep  it  dry.  The  locally  pur- 
chased matches  are  generally  so  bad  and  easily  affected 
by  damp  that  it  is  a  good  plan  to  have  a  reserve  of  some 
good  English-made  match  in  a  small  sealed  box  or 
waterproof  envelope.  This  may  be  carried  about  for 
months  or  years  and  never  used,  but  when  the 
hunter  gets  left  out  in  the  bush  on  a  damp  night, 
and  finds  that  his  matches  have  been  destroyed  by 
crossing  a  river  or  pushing  through  wet  grass,  he  will 
be  thankful  for  the  reserve. 


CHAPTER  XX 

STALKING  THE  AFRICAN 

The  usual  African  punitive  expedition  is  a  poor 
enough  show.  It  usually  starts  by  some  European  be- 
ing attacked  or  murdered,  or  constant  raids  being  made 
by  some  tribe  not  in  an  administered  area  on  some 
other  tribe  which  is  under  the  government.  In  both 
cases,  the  tribe  to  be  attacked  has,  as  a  rule,  not  the 
slightest  conception  of  the  powers  or  resources  of  the 
government.  In  the  former  case,  they  perhaps  think 
that  the  government  is  one  white  man,  and  if  they  kill 
him  they  will  have  finished  with  it  forever. 

In  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred,  directly  an 
expedition  reaches  their  country,  the  natives  fly  in 
every  direction,  scattering  all  over  the  country  and 
hiding  their  stock  in  small  herds.  It  then  only  remains 
to  break  up  and  catch  what  stock  can  be  found  and 
shoot  down  a  few  men  running  away  till  the  "cease 
fire"  is  sounded.  Perhaps  some  villages  are  burnt  and 
then  the  column  is  withdrawn  and  messengers  of  peace 
are  sent  to  tell  the  tribe  that  war  is  over,  so  long  as  they 
will  submit  to  the  government.  If  much  cattle  has 
been  captured,  some  of  it  is  usually  given  back  after 
the  natives  have  behaved  themselves  for  a  year  or  two. 

309 


3IO     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

Possibly  one  or  two  soldiers,  who  have  wandered  far 
away  by  themselves,  perhaps  on  a  private  looting  ex- 
pedition, are  kiUed  or  wounded  but  otherwise  no  casu- 
alties occur. 

On  the  hundredth  occasion,  all  starts  as  before,  but 
either  the  strength  or  the  courage  of  the  enemy  has 
been  underrated  or  a  small  column  becomes  detached. 
Nothing  is  seen  of  the  assailants  except  a  few  flying  men. 
Suddenly,  there  is  a  rush  in  thick  grass  or  bush  and  the 
little  column  gets  massacred.  The  enemy  are  either 
very  ignorant  of  the  power  of  the  rifle  or  else  very  sure 
of  their  ground  before  they  will  attack.  In  the  first 
case,  perhaps  there  is  a  severe  fight  and  finally  the  na- 
tives are  driven  back.  Of  course  such  a  situation  is 
what  every  commander  hopes  for  at  the  commencement 
of  the  expedition,  as  it  gives  his  men  an  experience  of 
the  real  thing  and  the  enemy  a  lesson  in  the  power 
of  the  rifle.  Shooting  down  a  few  stray  runaways  and 
being  unable  to  catch  or  deal  with  the  real  truculent 
men  of  the  tribe  will  never  have  a  satisfactory  effect. 

When  proceeding  with  a  column  and  baggage,  with 
all  the  arrangements  for  food  and  porterage,  it  is  prac- 
tically impossible  to  surprise  or  catch  the  barefooted 
savage  who,  if  he  is  no  good  at  anything  else,  is  always 
undefeatable  in  the  art  of  running  away  through  thick 
bush.  I  suppose  that  a  moderately  trained  athlete 
would  beat  any  native  by  points  on  a  racing  track,  but 
put  the  two  in  thick  bush  and  the  latter  would  have  it 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  311 

all  his  own  way.  To  see  a  party  of  natives  fly  after  a 
small  wounded  buck  one  would  think  that  grass  and 
bush  were  no  obstacle. 

So  in  the  usual  African  warfare  —  I  am  not  talking 
of  the  fanatical  people  of  northern  Africa  —  the  show 
is  hopelessly  dull  for  the  ninety-nine  times  and  rather 
too  exciting  for  the  hundredth.  However,  if  there  is 
nothing  to  rejoice  the  heart  of  the  soldier,  the  sports- 
man can  often  amuse  himself,  if  he  can  escape  from  the 
crowd  and  get  away  by  himself. 

In  January,  1908, 1  was  building  a  survey  beacon  at 
the  south  of  the  Uasi  Ngishu,  when  a  runner  came 
through  with  a  telegram  to  say  that  I  was  to  join  an 
expedition  going  up  into  the  Kisii  country.  By  the 
time  I  got  the  message,  the  expedition  was  already  leav- 
ing Nairobi.  I  decided  that  my  best  way  would  be 
to  try  to  hit  off  the  railway  line  about  Lumbwa  or  Fort 
Teman  if  a  path  could  be  found.  A  Dorobo  with  me 
said  he  knew  of  a  path  to  Lumbwa,  so  after  finishing  the 
beacon,  we  started  and  by  5  p.m.  found  ourselves  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  thick  forest.  The  Dorobo 
then  said  that  he  did  not  know  of  a  way  to  Lumbwa; 
he  had  only  thought  he  did.  There  were  masses  of 
forest  and  the  mountain  of  Tinderet  between  us  and 
Lumby/a  and  it  was  not  much  good  attempting  to  cut 
through  this  if  we  could  not  find  a  path. 

The  country  appeared  more  open  westwards  and  I 
decided  to  steer  for  Muhoroni,  so  we  started  cutting  our 


312     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

way  through  the  belt  of  forest  that  separated  us  from 
the  open  country  in  that  direction.  We  camped  in  the 
forest  at  sundown.  Next  day  we  cut  our  way  out 
through  the  forest,  and  then  I  took  my  porters  up  hill 
and  down  dale,  through  the  most  noxiously  entwined 
long  grass,  the  whole  day  without  a  halt  till  after  sun- 
down, when  we  lay  down. 

Next  day  we  reached  Muhuroni  in  the  afternoon. 
One  would  have  thought  that  those  two  days  of  con- 
tinual trek  without  halts  and  up  and  down  steep  hills 
without  a  path  would  have  choked  off  any  caravan  of 
porters  to  be  found.  However,  this  was  not  so,  as  there 
were  great  heartburnings  and  jealousy  over  the  selec- 
tion of  men  who  were  to  go  on  and  those  who  were  to 
return  to  Nairobi.  Finally  we  got  a  train  and  boat  to 
Kindu  on  the  lake  shore.  The  expedition  had  started 
a  day  or  two  before,  and  in  the  distant  hills,  one  could 
see  the  fire  and  smoke  of  burning  huts. 

On  my  march  up  to  meet  the  column,  I  was  preceding 
my  men,  as  is  my  custom,  when  topping  a  rise,  I  saw  a 
Kisii  warrior  coming  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  valley. 
I  immediately  signed  to  my  men,  who  were  as  yet 
below  the  ridge,  to  stop,  a  sign  which  generally  meant 
game  and  hence  meat  for  them. 

I  then  stalked  my  man,  who  was  going  slantwise 
across  our  path,  from  bush  to  bush,  till  I  had  got  within 
twenty  yards  of  him.  At  this  moment,  there  was  a  re- 
port from  behind.    It  appeared  that  one  of  my  porters, 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  313 

armed  with  an  old  carbine  which  used  to  be  the  weapon 
of  the  night  watchman  in  camp,  had  crept  up  to  see 
what  game  I  was  after.  He  saw  me  crouching  along 
apparently  stalking  something  and  then  he  saw  the 
Kisii  warrior  quite  close,  so  discharged  his  carbine  into 
the  air  to  frighten  him  away.  This  discharge  had  the 
effect  desired  by  the  porter,  as  the  Kisii  turned  and  ran 
like  a  hare  down  the  hill  and  I  after  him. 

At  the  bottom  was  a  stream  and  into  this  he  plunged. 
I  ran  to  the  bank  and  waited  at  the  side  but  he 
did  not  emerge.  I  was  soon  joined  by  a  few  of  my 
men,  and  I  sent  some  to  watch  up-stream,  and  some 
do\\Ti.  I  then  reconnoitred  the  place  at  which  he  had 
disappeared  and  presently  heard  a  faint  sound  like  a 
hippo  coming  up  to  breathe,  and  on  approaching  the 
spot,  the  Kisii  emerged  from  under  a  tuft  of  grass,  where 
he  had  been  hiding,  and  stood  in  midstream. 

He  had  dropped  his  spear  and  shield  in  his  flight  and 
now  a  strange  boy,  who  had  attached  himself  to  my 
party  in  order  to  get  to  Kisii  Boma,  rushed  up  with  it, 
and  thought  he  would  get  an  easily  earned  reputation 
for  bravery  by  stabbing  him  as  he  stood  defenceless 
in  the  water.  I  knocked  the  butt  aside  and  at  the  same 
time  the  Kisii  took  the  end  and  snatched  it  out  of 
his  hand.  Then  he  stood  in  the  water  in  a  frenzy  of 
terror,  waving  the  spear  round  his  head  with  one  hand 
and  plucking  up  tufts  of  grass  with  the  other  and 
throwing  them  at  me  in  token  of  peace. 


314     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

By  this  time  my  men  had  collected  on  the  bank  in  a 
little  knot,  and  there  was  such  a  babble  of  noise,  added  to 
the  Kisii's  squeals  of  terror,  that  I  could  not  make  my- 
self heard.  I  pushed  my  men  aside  and  took  a  tuft  of 
grass  out  of  his  hand  which  he  appeared  particularly 
anxious  for  me  to  have,  and  then  taking  him  by  the 
hand  pulled  him  out  of  the  water. 

At  this  there  was  a  general  cry  from  my  men  of  "Look 
out;  he  will  kill  our  white  man!" — natives  always  give 
credit  to  any  unknown  tribe  for  great  ferocity  and  bold- 
ness —  and  a  dozen  hands  seized  on  the  spear.  With 
all  these  bloodthirsty  people  about,  the  Kisii  thought 
his  only  safety  lay  in  my  immediate  proximity  so,  wet, 
dripping,  and  covered  with  mud  as  he  was,  he  threw 
himself  on  my  neck.  At  this  moment  my  cook  rushed 
forward  and  called  out,  "Look  out;  he  has  a  knife  in  his 
belt ! "  and  seized  on  the  hilt  and  tried  to  draw  it  from  its 
sheath. 

The  Kisii  embraced  me  with  one  arm,  plentifully 
bespattering  me  with  mud,  whilst  with  the  other  he 
tried  to  retain  the  knife  in  its  sheath,  convinced  that 
it  was  required  for  his  execution.  The  cook  was  equally 
determined  to  get  it  and  thereby,  as  he  thought,  save 
my  life,  whilst  I  was  only  anxious  to  escape  from  the 
clammy  embrace  of  my  captive.  We  waltzed  round 
in  this  position  for  some  minutes,  the  Kisii  keeping  up 
an  incessant  howling  and  my  men  all  talking  at  once, 
while  I  could  only  laugh  at  the  ridiculous  situation  I 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  315 

was  in,  for  what  with  the  Kisii's  dinging  to  me,  and  my 
own  men  trying  to  tug  me  away,  I  was  having  the 
worst  time  of  anybody. 

Finally  we  got  the  prisoner  quieted  down  and  a  rope 
was  put  round  his  neck  and  we  resumed  our  march. 
I  have  often  made  odd-and-end  prisoners  in  this  sort 
of  way  and  there  is  one  feature  that  is  common  to  them 
all.  Whereas  at  first  they  are  terrified  out  of  their 
wits,  no  sooner  do  they  realise  that  they  are  not  going 
to  be  kiUed  in  cold  blood,  than  they  assume  the  airs  and 
graces  of  an  honoured  guest.  So  with  our  present  pris- 
oner. I  gave  him  a  load  to  carry  to  lessen  the  chance  of 
his  tr3dng  to  run  away  and  also  to  ease  its  former 
bearer  to  look  after  him. 

He  was  a  great  stalwart  fellow  but  after  a  few  min- 
utes he  threw  down  the  load,  which  was  half  a  tent,  and 
said  that  he  could  not  possibly  carry  it,  and  he  wanted 
to  have  the  rope  with  which  he  was  fastened  undone 
at  once. 

The  native  is  generally  so  innocuous  and  appears  so 
brainless  that  one  is  apt  to  grow  careless  with  him.  It 
does  not  seem  possible  that  he  could  ever  do  you  any 
harm  or  show  any  great  cunning  and  after  a  time  one 
begins  to  be  put  off  one's  guard.  As  in  the  expeditions 
I  was  speaking  of,  after  seeing  nothing  but  flying  natives 
time  after  time,  one  begins  to  grow  sceptical  as  to  the 
possibility  of  their  ever  pressing  home  an  attack.  I 
once  galloped  after  two  flying  natives  who  were  gun 


3i6     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

running.  I  caught  up  one  whilst  the  other  disappeared 
over  the  top  of  a  little  rocky  ridge.  I  proceeded  to  the 
top  with  my  first  prisoner,  but  when  I  got  to  the  summit 
I  could  not  see  the  other  anywhere,  although  there  was 
a  bare  open  plain  on  the  other  side.  I  rode  along  the 
ridge  looking  amongst  the  rocks  and  suddenly  saw  a 
little  cave.  Springing  off  my  pony,  I  threw  the  reins 
to  my  prisoner  and  told  him  to  hold  them,  but  I  just 
recollected  myself  in  time  and  said,  "No,  I  don't  think," 
and  held  the  bridle  whilst  I  peered  into  the  cave.  When 
I  looked  to  see  if  the  native  had  appreciated  the  joke, 
his  face  was  absolutely  stolid.  The  astonishing  part  is 
that  nine  times  out  of  ten,  you  would  probably  return  from 
a  protracted  search  of  the  cave  and  find  your  prisoner 
patiently  sitting  waiting  for  you.  It  is  the  tenth  time 
for  which  you  must  look  out. 

I  remember  once  spotting  a  deserter,  and  I  told  him 
to  precede  my  pony  back  to  the  station.  It  was  twenty- 
four  miles  and  all  went  well  for  twenty  of  these.  I  then 
noticed  that  he  was  getting  a  little  far  ahead,  so  I  called 
him  back  to  keep  pace  with  the  pony's  walk,  but  thought 
to  myself  that  I  was  being  over-fussy;  he  would  not  have 
the  intelligence  to  gradually  increase  his  distance  or  the 
audacity  to  run  away.  However,  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards, whilst  going  through  some  bush,  he  gave  me  the 
slip  absolutely  and  disappeared  in  the  most  miraculous 
way.  It  is  very  dull  work  keeping  one's  attention  fixed 
on  a  prisoner  for  many  hours  on  end  during  a  hot  day. 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  317 

Once  in  Somaliland  we  surprised  a  tribe  at  dawn  and 
they  commenced  driving  off  their  camels  in  all  direc- 
tions. I  rode  on  and  chased  two  mounted  men  who 
were  driving  off  a  herd  of  camels,  and  then  went  on  and 
surprised  two  men  on  foot  who  were  hurrying  away.  I 
took  their  spears  and  told  them  to  come  along  with  me. 
Presently,  I  saw  a  moimted  man  coming  towards  us,  so 
I  hid  behind  a  large  bush  till  he  came  near.  Then  I 
told  my  two  prisoners  to  emerge  and  call  to  him,  and 
teU  him  to  dismount,  which  he  innocently  did.  I  then 
showed  myself  and  said  that  he  was  my  prisoner. 

By  this  time,  I  had  got  six  spears  and  another  pony 
beside  my  own  pony  and  rifle  to  look  after,  so  I  gave 
their  spears  back  to  the  men  and  told  them  they  must 
carry  them  for  themselves  as  I  could  not  be  bored  with 
them.  The  mounted  man  I  told  to  lead  his  pony  and 
then  we  set  off  back  to  find  the  column.  On  the  way, 
I  made  a  few  more  prisoners  till  we  were  quite  a  large 
party. 

Everybody  seemed  so  cheerful  and  happy  to  be  a  pris- 
oner, that  I  was  off  my  guard,  and  let  the  man  leading 
the  pony  get  on  my  off  side.  Suddenly  he  jumped  on 
and  started  off.  It  is  impossible  to  shoot  at  any  one 
going  away  on  one's  off  side,  when  mounted,  unless  one 
has  a  revolver  or  is  left-handed.  However,  I  did  the 
next  best  thing  to  taking  a  shot  at  him  by  shooting 
my  rifle  from  .'off  my  thigh  in  his  direction.  It  had  the 
desired  effect,  as  he  fell  off  his  pony,  and  for  some  time 


3i8    HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

thought  he  was  dead.  When  he  discovered  that  he 
had  not  been  killed,  I  explained  to  him  that  I  had  only 
fired  to  frighten  him  that  time  and  that  next  time  I 
would  really  kill  him,  but  I  took  good  care  to  keep  him 
on  my  near  side  for  the  rest  of  the  way. 

Finally  I  found  the  column,  and  I  marched  in  sur- 
rounded by  my  escort  of  cheerful  prisoners.  To  any 
one  observing  the  procession  approach,  it  must  have 
appeared  that  I  was  the  prisoner  and  that  they  were 
guarding  me  on  every  side. 

We  were  just  starting  from  camp  one  day  in  Soma- 
liland  in  1900;  at  that  time  we  had  no  regular  troops 
only  Somali  levies,  when  news  was  brought  in  by  the 
scouts  that  a  large  body  of  horse  and  spearmen  were 
approaching.  We  immediately  hurried  back  to  the 
site  of  our  last  night's  bivouac,  put  out  the  barbed  wire, 
and  waited  in  an  expectant  attitude  for  some  hours. 
Nothing  happened,  and  then  news  came  in  that  the 
Mullah's  army  had  passed  by. 

I  went  out  with  Captain  Fredericks,  R.E.,  who  was 
afterwards  killed  at  Firdigin,  to  reconnoitre.  To  one 
side  of  our  camp  was  a  rocky  ridge  and  this  we  ascended. 
The  other  side  descended  sharply  in  a  series  of  terraces. 
We  saw  nothing  till,  just  as  we  were  about  to  return,  I 
espied  four  horsemen  in  the  distance  coming  along  the 
foot  of  the  ridge.  We  cautiously  descended  from  ter- 
race to  terrace,  till  as  they  got  level  with  us  we  were 
just  above  them.     Suddenly,  they  all  turned  sharply 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  319 

into  a  steep-sided  guUey  in  the  hillside.  This  was  an 
absolute  cul  de  sac;  the  entrance  was  only  a  few  yards 
wide,  of  which  the  greater  part  was  a  ravine  cut  by 
a  watercourse  and  so  the  road  passable  for  a  pony  was 
only  about  a  yard  wide.  After  going  thirty  or  forty 
yards  into  the  hillside,  the  gully  ended  in  an  abrupt  wall. 

It  was  evidently  the  intention  of  the  men  to  hide  their 
ponies  in  this  gully,  whilst  one  or  two  of  them  climbed 
up  the  hill  to  reconnoitre.  We  were  very  anxious  to 
catch  a  prisoner  so  as  to  find  out  what  the  Mullah's  force 
was  going  to  do  and  where  they  were. 

As  the  last  horseman  turned  into  the  gully,  I  dropped 
his  pony  and  it  fell  dead  across  the  path,  more  or  less 
blocking  the  exit.  The  others  rushed  up  to  the  end  of 
the  gully  and  leaving  their  ponies  commenced  scram- 
bling up  the  hillside  like  baboons.  I  ran  round  above 
them  but  by  the  time  I  saw  them  again  they  had  nearly 
reached  the  top,  dodging  in  and  out  of  sight  up  a  rift. 
I  fired  over  their  heads  to  try  to  stop  them,  without 
effect.  I  saw  one  man  disappear  at  the  top,  crouching 
low  and  holding  his  shield  over  his  back  as  he  ran, 
fondly  imagining  that  it  was  bullet-proof. 

I  called  to  Fredericks,  who  had  been  just  round  the 
corner  and  had  now  appeared  at  the  spot  from  which  I 
fired.  He  climbed  down  into  the  gully  to  seize  the 
ponies,  whilst  I  climbed  round  the  top  of  the  gully 
hoping  that  there  was  still  a  man  in  the  rift  whom  I 
could  intercept. 


320     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I  climbed  down  the  rift,  which  was  full  of  crevices 
and  holes,  whilst  Fredericks  covered  me  with  his  rifle 
from  the  other  side  of  the  gully,  where  he  could  see 
better  than  I  could  in  case  a  man  sprang  out  of  some 
unexpected  place.  However,  I  could  find  no  trace  of 
the  men,  except  a  whip  dropped  on  a  ledge.  After 
reaching  the  bottom,  we  took  the  three  ponies,  one  of 
which  was  a  well-known  white  one  called  "  Godir  Hore" 
(fleeter  than  the  Kudu),  and  returned  to  camp  very 
pleased  with  ourselves.  I  rode  the  pony  through  the 
rest  of  the  expedition  alternately  with  my  old  camel  and 
it  afterwards  earned  the  title  of  "fleeter  than  the  snail." 

On  another  occasion  in  Somaliland,  I  was  rounding  up 
some  zaribas  by  night.  There  were  three  in  the  route 
of  our  march  and  I  particularly  wished  to  capture  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  in  these  three,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  any  news  of  our  approach  being  sent 
on  to  the  tribe  we  hoped  to  surprise  in  our  front. 

Our  guide  took  us  to  the  neighbourhood  of  one  of  the 
zaribas  and  we  were  trying  to  find  it  in  the  dark  when 
a  strong  whiff  of  cattle  and  goat  came  down  wind  to  us. 
We  followed  this  up  wind  and  came  on  the  kraal.  By 
the  way,  if  one  is  uncertain  if  one  is  on  the  path  or  not 
in  a  desert  country  at  night,  one  can  often  satisfy  one- 
self by  picking  up  a  handful  of  dust  and  smelling  it. 
If  it  smells  of  camel  or  goat  it  is  the  path. 

I  had  about  twenty  irregulars  with  me  and  we  ap- 
proached the  village  quietly.    When  we  got  near,  a  ser- 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  321 

geant  and  I  went  forward  to  reconnoitre.  We  found 
two  sentries  at  the  door  of  the  kraal  about  five 
yards  apart  fast  asleep.  I  told  the  sergeant  to  wake  one 
without  any  noise,  whilst  I  went  to  the  other,  and  push- 
ing with  my  foot  to  wake  him  up  at  the  same  time 
pointed  a  murderous-looking  great  spear  at  his  throat 
and  told  him  not  to  make  a  noise. 

I  suppose  if  one  was  a  black  man  it  would  be  a  fairly 
alarming  experience  to  be  aroused  suddenly  from  sleep 
to  find  a  white  man  standing  over  one  with  a  great 
spear.  Anyhow,  this  Somali  seemed  to  think  so.  For 
a  moment  he  was  speechless  with  terror  and  then  he 
covered  his  head  up  in  his  tobe  and  started  screaming 
lustily.  I  kicked  him  and  told  him  to  be  quiet  but  he 
only  screamed  the  louder,  and  then  seized  my  foot  and 
began  kissing  and  slobbering  over  it.  I  felt  very  like 
sticking  him  with  the  spear,  as  by  now  the  alarm  had 
been  given. 

By  this  time,  the  rest  of  the  men  had  come  up,  so 
leaving  him  with  them  I  ran  into  the  village  with  the 
sergeant  and  we  just  arrived  as  they  were  coming  out 
of  their  gurgis  (camel  mat  huts).  We  explained  quickly 
that  we  did  not  wish  to  hurt  any  one  if  they  did  not  run 
away.  It  was  a  fairly  big  village  and  by  the  time  we 
had  despatched  all  the  prisoners  and  stock  to  our 
bivouac  under  escort  we  had  not  many  men  left. 

We  then  went  on  to  the  next  kraal  and  repeated  the 
same  performance.     When  we  had  despatched  these 


322     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

prisoners  and  stock,  it  was  just  dawn  and  there  was  only 
the  sergeant  left  mth  me  and  still  another  kraal  to 
tackle.  However,  this  proved  to  be  a  very  small  one. 
It  was  just  light  as  we  approached  it,  so  I  directed  the 
sergeant  to  surround  the  village  from  one  side,  whilst  I 
did  the  same  to  the  other. 

Wrhile  I  was  creeping  round  the  wall  of  the  zariba 
looking  for  the  doorway,  a  man  suddenly  came  out  and 
walked  into  the  bush.  I  followed  him  stealthily  and 
when  I  was  about  five  yards  from  him  he  suddenly 
heard  me  and  whipped  round,  raising  his  spear  into  the 
awkward  attitude  above  the  shoulder  that  the  Somalis 
adopt  for  stabbing.  My  spear  was  about  four  times  as 
big  as  his,  so  levelling  it  I  charged  at  him.  I  was 
longing  to  try  that  spear  but  I  was  baulked  at  the  last 
moment,  for  he  dropped  on  to  his  knees  and  cried  for 
mercy.  Subsequently,  I  broke  the  haft  across  the 
back  of  one  of  my  own  men  at  Firdigin  who  pretended 
that  he  was  wounded  so  as  to  get  under  cover. 

There  were  not  many  people  in  the  village,  so  we 
rounded  them  up  and  brought  them  back.  All  the 
prisoners  were  left  under  escort  with  orders  that  they 
should  be  released  on  the  next  day,  by  which  time  we 
should  have  arrived  at  our  destination.  We  proceeded 
on  our  way  and  succeeded  in  surprising  the  people  we 
wished  to. 

The  last  little  incident  I  wiU  recall  is  of  rather  a 
different  nature.     I  came  to  the  branch  of  two  ways  in 


STALKING  THE  AFRICAN  323 

the  Danakil  country  and  was  uncertain  which  was 
the  best  to  take.  Seeing  a  Httle  village  about  half  a 
mile  away,  I  went  to  it  with  my  head  man  to  ask  for 
information;  meanwhile  my  caravan  trekked  on  down 
one  of  the  two  ways. 

There  were  about  half  a  dozen  men  in  the  village  and 
they  were  not  very  informative.  They  said  that  they  did 
not  know,  and  that  both  ways  were  the  same,  and  one 
said  that  both  were  right  and  another  that  both  were 
wrong.  Whilst  I  was  eliciting  this  useful  information, 
my  head  man  like  a  fool  gave  one  of  the  men  half  a 
dollar  and  asked  him  to  bring  him  some  milk.  When 
I  turned  to  go,  he  told  me  that  he  could  not  get  either 
the  half-dollar  back  or  the  milk  from  them. 

I  asked  where  the  half-dollar  was,  and  they  all  denied 
having  ever  seen  it.  One  man  spoke  rather  thickly 
and  my  head  man  said,  "  1  believe,  master,  that  man  has 
it  in  his  mouth."  It  would  have  grieved  me  very  much 
to  have  gone  away  and  left  them  to  think  what  a  parcel 
of  new  chums  we  were,  yet  this  appeared  to  be  the  only 
course  to  follow,  as  the  Danakils  are  genial,  cheery 
birds  who  would  not  think  twice  about  sticking  one 
with  their  big  spears,  so  the  use  of  violence  was  out  of 
the  question,  unless  I  Wanted  to  risk  a  fight  and  having 
to  shoot  some  one. 

However,  with  the  native  there  are  always  ways  and 
means,  as  my  old  trader  friend  said.  I  suggested  that 
the  man  had  the  coin  in  his  mouth  and  he  shook  his 


324     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

head  and  the  others  got  quite  heated  about  it.  I  felt 
rather  annoyed  but  pretended  to  be  vastly  amused. 
I  turned  to  the  others  and  pointed  over  my  shoulder 
and  at  my  mouth  by  way  of  taking  them  into  my 
confidence  and  sa3dng,  "Now  you  will  see  some  fun." 

Then  I  suddenly  caught  the  man  by  the  back  of  the 
neck,  after  the  manner  school-boys  have  of  gripping 
each  other  and  which  must  really  be  very  painful  to  a 
scraggy-necked  individual  like  a  Danakil  if  one  gets  a 
good  grip  on  him. 

Like  a  conjuring  trick  the  coin  appeared  out  of 
his  mouth  and  the  man  looked  so  discomfited  that 
it  compelled  the  others  to  laugh.  I  do  not  suppose 
that  they  knew  that  I  was  hurting  him  but  imagined 
that  it  was  only  chagrin  at  losing  his  half-dollar  which 
made  him  look  so  unhappy. 

I  had  still  my  own  to  get  back  out  of  the  man  for  try- 
ing to  fool  me,  so  I  roared  with  laughter,  poking  him  again 
and  again  in  the  ribs  with  the  butt  of  my  riding  whip,  as 
if  I  thought  him  the  funniest  and  best  fellow  in  the  world, 
at  the  same  time  gripping  him  harder  and  harder  by  the 
neck.  At  last  my  merriment  so  overcame  me,  that  I 
rocked  about  in  an  ecstasy  of  good-natured  laughter, 
winking  at  the  others,  shaking  him  violently  by  the 
scruff  of  the  neck,  and  digging  him  jocularly  in  the  ribs 
with  the  hard  butt  of  my  whip.  When  I  had  half 
strangled  him,  I  suddenly  dropped  him,  and  waving  my 
arm  to  the  others  swiftly  retired. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

HUNTING  THE  BONGO 

For  long  I  had  heard  about  the  wariness  of  the  East 
African  bongo  and  had  been  anxious  to  try  for  it  but 
it  was  some  time  before  I  had  an  opportunity.  The 
first  time  that  I  came  across  its  tracks  was  on  Kinangop. 
From  all  appearances  it  seemed  to  be  a  very  rare 
visitor  there,  probably  occasionally  wandering  up  from 
the  forest  to  the  south  of  the  mountain,  and  all  the 
tracks  I  had  pointed  out  to  me  were  old  ones.  Still, 
if  I  had  no  chance  of  hunting  the  bongo,  I  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  getting  familiar  with  its  track,  its  haunts,  and 
many  of  its  habits. 

Later  I  was  sent  to  look  for  a  suitable  point  for  a 
beacon  in  the  forests  of  the  escarpment.  It  immedi- 
ately struck  me  that  this  would  be  a  most  likely  spot 
to  find  the  bongo,  and  before  I  had  reached  the  locality, 
I  had  learnt  from  Dorobo  that  it  was  indeed  to  be 
found  there. 

As  it  is  a  very  wary  animal,  the  next  thing  to  do  was 
to  take  every  precaution,  compatible  with  performing 
the  work  I  had  to  do,  that  my  porters  did  not  disturb 
the  animal,  which  would  have  spoilt  my  chances,  as 

325 


326     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  slightest  noise  or  disturbance  would  at  once  clear 
the  neighbourhood  of  any  bongo  there  were. 

Fortune  favoured  me  in  this  respect,  as  we  found  a 
goat  path  leading  into  the  forest  from  the  last  villages 
and,  after  following  it  for  a  short  time,  came  upon  a 
large  space  which  had  been  cleared  by  the  natives  to 
form  plantations  eventually.  The  trees  had  been 
felled  and  the  undergrowth  cleared  and  then  it  had  been 
left  waiting  for  the  felled  trees  to  dry  so  that  they  could 
be  burnt ;  meanwhile  no  one  came  there. 

I  pitched  camp  in  the  centre  of  this  spot,  which  was 
really  inside  the  forest  and  yet  my  camp  was  some  way 
from  the  edge  of  the  trees.  To  the  west  was  a  belt  of 
forest  which  separated  us  from  the  outer  world,  whilst 
to  the  east  was  the  main  forest  and  the  prevailing  wind 
came  from  this  direction.  As  there  was  plenty  of  fire- 
wood to  hand  and  a  stream  ran  through  the  clearing, 
there  was  no  inducement  to  the  porters  to  penetrate  the 
undergrowth  and,  moreover,  from  the  lay  of  the  land  it 
seemed  a  very  suitable  place  from  which  to  search  for 
the  required  point. 

Having  settled  camp,  I  set  out  with  a  Dorobo  to  find 
the  highest  point  in  the  vicinity,  which  was  not  at  all 
apparent  with  the  whole  country  covered  with  forest 
and  mist,  and  incidentally  to  look  for  a  bongo.  We 
found  plenty  of  spoor,  some  of  it  of  the  night  before, 
on  the  banks  of  the  stream  some  way  into  the  forest. 

To  any  one  who  does  not  know  this  particular  forest 


HUNTING  THE  BONGO  327 

or  a  similar  one,  it  may  sound  fairly  easy  work  walking 
about  in  a  forest,  so  it  will  be  necessary  to  explain  its 
exact  nature  before  the  difficulties  of  coming  up  to  a 
bongo  or  even  of  proceeding  any  distance  at  all  are 
apparent. 

First  imagine  numbers  of  trees  of  all  sizes,  close 
together,  with  their  branches  so  entwined  that  the 
sunlight  only  reaches  the  ground  in  a  few  patches  here 
and  there.  Then  imagine  these  interlaced  from  the 
ground  upwards  in  a  perfect  network  of  lianas  and 
creepers.  On  the  ground  there  is  an  accumulation  a 
foot  deep  of  dead  wood  and  twigs  of  all  ages  of  decay, 
from  the  soft,  rotten  wood  at  the  bottom  to  the  brittle, 
crackling  twigs  on  the  top  which  betray  your  presence, 
walk  you  never  so  wisely.  Then  imagine  numberless 
fallen  trees  scattered  about  in  all  directions,  and  finally 
fill  up  any  interstices  left,  to  the  height  of  about  six 
feet,  with  undergrowth,  stinging  nettles,  convolvulus, 
and  there  you  have  the  forest. 

In  parts  there  appears  to  be  an  absence  of  green 
undergrowth,  except  for  shoots  with  which  the  floor  is 
carpeted.  Even  in  these  parts,  however,  the  gnarled 
stumps  and  branches,  the  lianas  and  creepers  are  so 
closely  entwined,  that  there  is  not  room  to  put  your 
head  through  without  pushing  something  aside. 

The  thickness  of  the  green  parts  may  be  best  illus- 
trated by  the  following.  Whilst  pushing  through  such 
stuff  I  would  suddenly  bark  my  shins  against  a  fallen 


328     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

tree  concealed  in  the  undergrowth.  After  climbing 
over  this,  one  would  perhaps  push  on  for  a  couple  of 
yards  and  meet  with  the  same  experience  again,  sur- 
mount this  obstacle,  and  then  bump  up  against  another 
close  by.  Then  one  would  proceed  some  way  before 
meeting  another  series.  After  having  this  coincidence 
thrust  home  on  me  several  times,  I  realised  that  the 
two  or  three  trees  met  close  together  were  but  branches 
of  the  same  fallen  tree  which  was  so  entirely  enveloped 
in  undergrowth  that  it  was  invisible.  Such,  then,  is  the 
home  of  the  bongo,  who,  as  I  have  suggested  before,  is 
of  a  retiring  nature  and  prefers  seclusion. 

Whilst  making  a  search  for  the  point  required,  I  came 
on  the  fresh  spoor  of  bongo  of  the  night  before.  This 
animal  appears  only  to  move  about,  to  any  extent,  at 
night,  whilst  by  day  it  lies  up  listening  for  any  sounds. 
It  is  practically  impossible  for  anything  to  come  near 
it  without  its  hearing  the  rustling  of  leaves  and  snap- 
ping of  twigs. 

If  the  country  in  which  it  lives  is  so  thick,  the  reader 
might  ask,  how  does  the  bongo  himself,  who  is  as  big 
as  a  cow,  move  through  it  ?  First  he  has  had  plenty  of 
practice ;  next,  he,  when  moving  through  bush,  shapes 
himself  like  a  wedge,  his  nose  being  the  thin  end,  and 
lastly,  he  has  plenty  of  weight  behind  him  with  which 
to  break  through  and  push  aside  obstacles  and  he  does 
not  himself  mind  making  the  crashing  and  crackling 
noises  which  would  be  fatal  to  his  pursuer. 


HUNTING  THE  BONGO  329 

The  bongo  does  not  appear  to  jump  obstacles  like 
the  bushbuck  but  pushes  through  or  under  them.  A 
branch  across  the  path  which  a  bushbuck  would  jump, 
the  bongo  will  crouch  under.  I  take  it  that  the 
bongo's  attitude  in  moving  is  with  the  neck  out- 
stretched and  near  the  ground,  the  nose  right  forward, 
the  horns  laid  flat  on  the  back,  and  the  legs  in  a  crouch- 
ing position.  If  he  comes  to  a  netted  mass  of  Kanas  he 
shoves  his  nose  underneath  them  or  through  a  gap  near 
the  ground  and  as  he  pushes  forward  the  gap  is  enlarged 
by  his  spreading  horns,  whilst  the  thick  lianas  slip  down 
them  and  over  his  flanks.  Anywhere  his  horns  can 
get  through,  the  rest  of  his  body  can  pass. 

They  generaUy  go  in  family  parties  or  two  or  three 
together.  The  females  have  horns  and  their  method 
of  procedure  is,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  just  the  same  as  that 
of  the  male.  With  the  bushbuck  the  females  are  horn- 
less and  so  they  have  to  rely  on  crouching  through  or 
jimaping  over  obstacles  more  than  the  male,  who  could 
push  the  undergrowth  aside  with  his  horns  but  does  not 
do  so,  at  least  to  the  extent  that  the  bongo  does. 

WeU,  to  continue,  having  found  a  fresh  bongo 
track,  I  argued  that  the  worst  thing  that  I  could  do 
would  be  to  alarm  the  animal,  as  this  would  lose  me  my 
bongo  that  day,  and  also  alarm  the  neighbourhood, 
prejudicing  my  chances  in  the  future.  If,  however,  I 
did  not  come  up  with  it,  no  harm  was  done  and  I  was 
equally  likely  to  find  other  tracks  the  next  day.     So  the 


330     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

thing  to  do  was  to  go  absolutely  noiselessly,  no  matter 
how  slowly,  and  if  I  only  managed  to  cover  a  few 
hundred  yards  in  the  day,  no  matter,  I  would  get 
another  chance.  The  only  thing  I  feared  was  a  change 
of  wind  or  a  bad  wind,  in  either  of  which  cases  I  should 
have  given  up  for  the  day.  However,  the  wind  was 
perfect,  and  so  we,  the  Dorobo  and  myself,  followed  the 
spoor  as  gingerly  as  possible,  I  in  front  and  the  Dorobo 
behind. 

There  is  one  thing  a  Dorobo  can  do  and  no  other 
native  that  I  can  think  of,  and  that  is  to  move  noise- 
lessly through  thick  bush.  Every  branch  in  the  way  I 
pushed  very  slowly  and  gently  aside,  and  after  slipping 
past,  the  Dorobo  took  it  and  placed  it  noiselessly  in  its 
original  position.  If  I  had  not  enough  hands  to  deal 
with  all  the  branches,  he  leaned  forward  and  helped. 
The  lianas  we  crawled  through  and  under.  As  we 
proceeded  like  this,  a  shower  of  rain  came  on  and  the 
patter,  patter  on  the  myriads  of  leaves  drowned  all 
lesser  sounds.  It  was  the  best  thing  that  could  have 
happened. 

I  was  always  peering  ahead  and  listening  for  the 
slightest  sound.  Suddenly,  from  close  by,  came  the 
sound  I  had  been  fearing  to  hear  and  yet  hoping  for, 
the  sudden  crashing  of  undergrowth.  I  rushed  for- 
ward ;  one  animal  was  crashing  away  ahead,  whilst 
about  fifteen  yards  in  front,  I  saw  the  bushes  moving 
and  just  caught  a  glimpse  of  something  dashing  across. 


HUNTING  THE  BONGO  331 

I  fired  at  once  and  at  the  same  time  heard  another  go 
off  to  my  left.  I  then  ran  forward  as  fast  as  the  under- 
growth would  permit  and  found  a  beautiful  female 
bongo  as  large  as  a  cow  laid  out  dead.  It  was  a  very 
lucky  shot,  as  I  had  to  fire  through  bushes  and  grass 
and  so  could  only  guess  where  the  heart  was. 

As  there  was  no  sunlight,  I  was  unable  to  photograph 
it.  I  sent  for  some  porters,  but  they  were  utterly 
unable  to  lift  it,  so  finally  we  had  to  skin  it  and  cut  it 
up.  As  there  was  no  sun  for  the  next  two  days,  all  I 
got  were  some  very  misty  pictures  of  the  head  with  the 
skin  spread  out  behind  it. 

Next  night  I  had  bongo-tail  soup  and  bongo  mar- 
row, dishes  I  expect  very  few  have  eaten,  whilst  I 
made  some  excellent  biltong  of  some  of  the  meat  which 
had  streaks  of  fat  in  it. 

Between  the  time  that  I  shot  the  bongo  and  that  at 
which  the  porters  arrived,  I  made  further  investigations 
of  the  country  and  climbed  a  tree  and  in  an  interval, 
when  the  mist  raised  a  little,  decided  on  what  must  be 
the  point. 

The  next  day  I  set  the  porters  to  work  to  cut  a  path 
to  the  rise  selected,  and  this  done,  we  found  that  it 
would  require  an  immense  amount  of  clearing  and 
trees  felled,  before  one  could  see  in  the  required  direc- 
tions. From  now  onwards  I  used  to  start  every  day  at 
davvTi  tohavea  look  round  the  forest,  then  join  my  porters 
on  the  hill  at  eight  o'clock,  work  at  cutting  till  4  p.m., 


332     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

having  my  lunch  brought  up  to  me,  and  then  take  an- 
other turn  m  the  forest  till  dark.  The  height  was 
about  eight  thousand  feet,  the  nights  were  very  cold, 
whilst  we  practically  never  saw  the  sun  for  the  fort- 
night we  were  there,  and  quite  half  the  time  the  whole 
forest  was  enveloped  in  thick  mist.  The  cool  air  and 
the  lack  of  sun,  after  trekking  about  on  the  hot  plains, 
made  one  feel  as  fit  as  possible  and  one  never  wanted 
to  sit  down  and  rest. 

How  my  porters  did  not  frighten  the  whole  country- 
side with  their  noise  and  the  woodcutting,  I  do  not 
know,  but,  as  I  have  said,  there  was  a  strong  and  con- 
stant breeze  from  the  east.  I  used  to  reach  the  hill 
quickly  by  our  path  and  from  there  take  an  old  bongo 
track  eastwards,  which  was  fairly  good  going,  and  so  get 
as  far  away  as  I  could.  I  came  across  fresh  bongo 
tracks  again  on  several  occasions  and  once  came  up 
within  twenty  yards  of  one,  a  male  this  time.  However, 
I  was  only  following  them  to  learn  their  habits,  as  my 
license  only  allowed  one  to  be  shot,  though  I  think  if  a 
tempting  shot  had  offered,  I  could  not  have  resisted  it. 
As  they  are  fairly  common  and  so  difficult  to  get,  it 
would  not  endanger  them  in  the  slightest  if  a  thousand 
were  allowed  on  a  license,  as  not  more  than  two  or  three, 
if  that,  would  be  shot  in  the  year  all  together. 

The  male  I  came  up  with  had  dug  up  a  tree  by  the 
roots  with  its  horns.  I  noticed  this  on  several  occasions, 
but  in  this  case  the  marks  were  quite  fresh.     He  had 


HUNTING  THE  BONGO  333 

dug  his  horns  under  the  roots  in  several  places  and  then 
levered  upwards  till  the  root  had  broken;  he  had  eaten 
some  of  the  roots  and  some  of  the  leaves  and  some  of  the 
bark  of  this  tree,  so  that  it  had  afforded  him  a  variety 
of  dishes.  He  was  with  one  other  and  we  were  betrayed 
by  the  wind  as  they  had  moved  round  before  lying 
down. 

Whilst  returning  from  this  hunt,  I  examined  closely 
the  leaf  of  one  of  the  plants  that  grow  thickly  on  the 
floor  of  the  forest.  Some  of  these  leaves  were  covered 
with  a  delicate  pattern  which  resembled  fine  lace.  I 
found  that  it  was  caused  by  a  small  caterpillar  which 
ate  a  carefully  traced  pattern  round  and  round,  starting 
from  the  outside.  He  ate  only  the  green  part  leaving  a 
pattern  of  a  network  of  veins.  Finally  when  he  had 
gone  roimd  and  round  in  diminishing  circles  till  he  had 
reached  the  centre,  he  there  made  himself  a  little  place 
in  which  to  transform. 

The  bongo's  track  generally  sinks  deep  into  the  mass 
of  twigs  and  rotting  leaves  which  cover  the  ground. 
My  way  of  walking  with  as  little  crackling  of  twigs  as 
possible  was  to  put  my  toe  into  the  track  of  the  animal 
I  was  following,  and  then  bring  the  weight  of  the  foot 
very  gradually  down.  Just  where  the  bongo  had 
stepped,  the  weight  of  the  heavy  animal  had  broken 
any  twigs  there  were  to  be  cracked.  However,  unfor- 
tunately my  foot  was  bigger  than  that  of  the  bongo 
and  so,  unless  one  could  proceed  continually  on  one's 


334     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

toes,  like  a  ballet  dancer,  one  had  perforce  to  put  part 
of  the  foot  outside  the  track. 

The  bongo  eats  bamboo  leaves,  as  well  as  some  of  the 
small  plants  which  spring  up  to  the  height  of  a  couple  of 
feet,  and  is  also  addicted  very  much  to  pith  and  rotten 
and  decayed  bark.  It  also  eats  charred  wood  from 
burnt  trees. 

Bongo  forests  are  pierced  by  a  network  of  old  tracks 
and  probably  these  are  largely  used  in  changing  grazing 
grounds  or  travelling  at  night.  They  form  about  the 
only  practical  method  of  moving  about  the  forest  and 
even  these  involve  a  continuous  crouching  and  crawling. 

Whilst  grazing  they  of  course  choose  fresh  ground 
to  get  fresh  food.  They  often  come  to  the  edge  of  the 
forest  or  even  at  night  a  little  way  into  plantations, 
which  extended  well  into  the  forest.  However,  to  lie 
up  they  choose  thick  undergrowth  in  the  depths  of 
the  forest.  If  you  see  tracks  in  some  of  the  more  open 
parts,  they  may  be  followed  quickly,  as  there  is  little 
fear  that  they  will  be  lying  up  close  by,  but  have  only 
come  to  graze  there  at  night. 

The  West  African  bongo  appears,  from  all  accounts, 
to  be  quite  a  dangerous  animal,  and  cases  have  fre- 
quently occurred  of  natives  being  damaged  or  killed  by 
them.  I  have  been  able  to  hear  of  no  similar  case  with 
the  East  African  bongo. 

After  a  week  of  cutting,  our  space  was  cleared  and 
for  the  next  few  days  I  had  to  be  all  day  on  the  hill 


HUNTING  THE  BONGO  335 

erecting  the  beacon.  That  finished,  I  had  nothing  to 
keep  me  and  so  trekked  away  at  once  to  my  next  point, 
which  was  in  the  Kikuyu  country. 

I  never  had  an  opportunity  of  returning  to  these 
forests,  but  I  met  the  bongo  spoor  again  near  the  ravine 
of  Kamasia.  However,  all  I  saw  was  old  and  I  had  no 
time  to  get  out  in  search  of  them,  as  all  my  points  were 
on  clear,  open  hills,  and  so  it  only  remained  to  build 
the  beacons  and  move  on. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

ODD  NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS 

Before  proceeding  with  these  few  rough  notes,  I 
must  state  that  I  pretend  to  no  scientific  or  theoretical 
knowledge  whatever  concerning  the  insect  life  of 
Africa.  I  am  just  a  casual  observer  who  interests  him- 
self in  the  life  around  him,  when  doing  nothing  else ; 
I  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  facility  for  making  a 
study  of  them.  Had  one  unlimited  time  at  one's 
disposal,  to  be  spent  both  in  Africa  collecting  and  in 
England  determining  one's  specimens,  the  study  of 
any  one  family  of  insects  would  afford  more  interest 
and  novelty  than  the  study  of  big  game  could  ever  do. 

AU  big  game  animals  must  be  known  by  now,  with 
possibly  one  or  two  exceptions,  whilst  the  habits  of 
most  of  them  have  been  described.  Thousands  of  in- 
sects are  awaiting  discovery,  and  there  are  tens  of 
thousands  of  which  nothing  is  known  concerning  their 
life  and  habits.  Their  metamorphoses  alone  make  the 
observation  of  one  insect  resemble  that  of  several  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  larger  animals. 

The  field  is  so  wide  and  vast  that  it  is  Kke  entering 
on  new  worlds,  peopled  with  different  inhabitants.  It 
opens  up  new  fines  of  thought  and  ideas  concerning 

23^ 


ODD  NOTES  ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       337 

animal  life  as  a  whole.  If  the  riddle  of  the  origin, 
reasons  for  structure  and  colouration  of  living  organisms 
is  ever  solved,  the  key  is  more  likely  to  be  found  by 
the  study  of  the  myriads  of  so-called  lower  creatures, 
than  amongst  the  larger  and,  generally  speaking,  more 
stupid  animals. 

From  my  point  of  view,  that  of  the  dilettante,  they 
offer  many  attractions.  There  is  the  interest  they 
give  to  what  would  otherwise  be  a  dull  march.  They 
afford  occupation  during  a  halt  or  whilst  camp  is 
being  pitched.  Any  odd  five  minutes  in  camp  may  be 
spent  in  an  insect  hunt.  They  are  always  ready  at 
your  door  and  even  on  your  dinner  table.  For  big 
game  one  has  generally  to  lay  oneseK  out  for  a  hard 
day,  one  must  go  far  afield,  and  an  odd  evening  after 
a  day's  march  is  not  of  much  use.  Yet  this  time  may 
be  spent  in  a  very  successful  hunt  after  insects,  and  if 
one  is  tired  there  is  no  need  to  go  far;  one  can  grope 
round  in  a  few  square  yards  for  an  hour  at  a  time 
without  exhausting  its  resources. 

Again  the  arrangement  and  sorting  out  of  specimens 
affords  occupation  for  the  evenings  and  rainy  days,  or 
as  a  rest  from  reading  or  writing.  Lastly  it  enables 
one  to  look  on  the  insect  pests  with  more  indulgent 
eyes.  If  your  soup  does  get  fuU  of  beetles,  your 
tumbler  of  flies,  and  moths  do  try  to  extinguish  your 
candle,  there  is  always  the  chance  of  a  new  specimen 
being  the  offender. 


338     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Of  the  different  orders  of  insects,  there  is  one,  many 
members  of  which  have  been  lately  observed  to  be 
especially  malignant  in  their  effects  on  mankind  and 
animals.  This  is  the  order  of  Diptera  or  two-winged 
flies  which  contains  many  species  able  to  spread  and 
communicate  disease  to  the  higher  animals.  Formerly 
but  little  attention  had  been  given  to  this  order.  Since 
the  discovery  that  the  mosquito  was  the  carrier  of 
malaria,  and  later  the  tsetse  of  sleeping  sickness,  the 
Diptera  have  received  considerable  study,  especially 
that  section  of  them  which  may  be  described  as 
''biting  flies." 

Much  has  been  discovered  in  the  last  few  years,  and 
yet  the  sum  total  of  knowledge  amassed  represents  but 
a  small  fraction  of  that  which  remains  to  be  done.  No 
doubt  during  the  course  of  the  next  ten  or  twenty 
years,  it  will  be  found  that  many  other  diseases  are 
spread  by  such  insects. 

The  tsetse  has  probably  received  more  attention 
than  any  other  fly  of  late  years.  It  is  impossible  for 
the  ordinary  layman  to  distinguish  between  the  vari- 
ous species  of  this  group,  as  very  special  knowledge 
and  a  microscope  is  required  to  determine  any  specimen. 
Even  with  the  advantages  of  such  knowledge  and  a 
microscope,  experts  themselves  have  often  failed  in 
detecting  new  species  and  have  made  mistakes  in 
assuming  an  insect  is  one  kind  whereas  it  is  subsequently 
found  to  be  another. 


ODD   NOTES  ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       339 

However,  with  the  naked  eye,  the  difference  can  be 
told  between  the  palpaUs  group  and  the  morsitans 
group.  I  call  the  palpalis  group  those  flies  that  were 
originally  supposed  alone  to  produce  sleeping  sickness. 
They  are  much  darker  than  the  others,  and  can  be 
distinguished  by  the  blackness  of  the  hind  legs,  whilst 
the  others  have  not  this  blackness,  although  some  of 
them  have  black  feet.  In  Glossina  palpalis  all  the 
joints  of  the  tarsi  in  the  hind  legs  are  black,  whilst  the 
foot  is  brown.  It  is  liable  to  be  confused  with  pallicera, 
as  regards  the  legs,  but  the  antennae  of  the  latter  are 
orange-buff,  instead  of  being  dark  as  those  of  palpalis. 
Lately  it  has  been  discovered  that  other  tsetse  besides 
palpaHs  are  able  to  carry  the  trypanosomes  of  sleeping 
sickness  and,  as  investigations  proceed,  it  would  seem 
as  if  the  different  kinds  are  becoming  more  and  more 
tarred  with  the  same  brush.  If  this  is  the  case,  a  very 
accurate  differentiation  of  species  and  subspecies  has 
become  less  necessary  to  medical  science  than  has  been 
thought  up  till  now.  Nevertheless  if  tsetse  is  dis- 
covered in  a  new  place,  some  should  be  caught  and  sent, 
carefully  labelled  as  to  date  and  place  of  capture,  to  the 
nearest  sleeping-sickness  commission  or  doctor. 

There  was  a  long  correspondence  in  the  Field 
between  Sir  Alfred  Sharp,  then  governor  of  Nyasaland, 
and  Mr.  F.  C.  Selous  concerning  the  habits  of  the  com- 
mon tsetse  (Glossina  morsitans)  in  which  they  dis- 
agreed entirely  as  to  the  habits  of  this  insect.     Mr.  F.  J. 


340     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Jackson,  now  governor  of  Uganda,  pointed  out  to  me 
that  they  were  both  right,  although  holding  entirely 
divergent  opinions,  but  that  they  were  talking  about 
different  insects  whose  habits  were  not  quite  the  same. 
Whereas  Mr,  Selous  was  talking  about  morsitans  proper, 
Sir  Alfred  Sharp  was  talking  about  its  Nyasaland 
representative.  This  differed  so  little  in  appearance 
that  it  had  always  been  mistaken  for  the  same  insect, 
till  it  was  discovered  that  it  had  a  white  foot  and  was 
then  found  to  be  a  distinct  species. 

Countries  may  be  tsetse-fly  free,  or  inhabited  by 
tsetse.  In  the  former  case,  they  are  necessarily  also 
free  from  sleeping  sickness,  or  cattle  sickness  from  tsetse. 
However,  because  tsetse  have  not  been  found  by  several 
observers,  it  does  not  follow  that  there  are  none,  unless 
the  observations  extend  over  several  years  and  are 
conducted  by  a  number  of  observers. 

There  are  bad  seasons  and  good  seasons  for  insects, 
and  sometimes  the  insects  in  their  preliminary  stages 
of  egg  or  chrysalis  are  liable  to  hold  over  a  year  and  only 
emerge  the  year  following.  Some  years  there  will  be 
but  few,  and  some  years  many,  and  when  there  are  but 
a  few,  they  are  often  liable  to  escape  observation. 

To  quote  instances  familiar  to  the  home  reader,  there 
are  plagues  of  wasps  some  years,  whilst  in  others  there 
are  but  few  to  be  seen.  There  are  certain  rare  butter- 
flies caught  periodically  in  the  same  locality,  but, 
although  they  are  much  sought  after  by  the  collector, 


ODD   NOTES  ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       341 

sometimes  several  years  elapse  between  captures. 
Undoubtedly  they  are  there  all  the  time  but  they  have 
not  been  found.  Again,  for  several  years  running  the 
clouded  yellow  butterfly  will  not  be  seen  or  only  occur 
singly  in  the  British  Isles,  and  then  one  year  they  will 
be  most  numerous. 

The  tsetse  rather  calls  attention  to  itself  than  other- 
\\ase  by  biting  the  observer,  but  if  there  are  only  a  few 
about,  it  is  quite  possible  that  he  may  miss  them.  Also 
in  some  seasons  they  swarm  in  certain  places  whilst  at 
others  but  few  are  to  be  found.  The  first  time  I  crossed 
the  Kaya  River  in  the  Lado  Enclave,  I  met  tsetse  of 
the  morsitans  group  in  swarms.  For  about  six  miles' 
march  up  the  Nile  bank,  I  had  to  keep  a  branch  of 
leaves  continually  flapping  about  the  back  of  my  head 
and  neck  as  they  settled  in  such  quantities  there.  I 
went  away  with  the  impression  that  the  river  bank 
at  this  point  was  always  like  that.  The  next  time  I 
passed  not  a  single  tsetse  bit  me,  and  I  should  never 
have  seen  any  if  I  had  not  been  very  much  on  the  look- 
out for  them.     I  think  I  saw  only  two  that  time. 

The  worst  place  I  have  struck  for  them  was  the 
Chambesi  River,  near  Bangweolo.  Also  the  Mangazi 
Valley  in  Portuguese  territory  not  far  from  Fort  Jame- 
son was  very  thick  with  them.  However,  it  is  quite 
likely  that  at  certain  seasons  or  in  certain  years  these 
spots  are  almost  devoid  of  them.  In  any  case,  it  does 
not  seem  possible  to  state,  even  after  visiting  a  spot 


342     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

several  times  and  carefully  examining  it,  that  there 
are  no  tsetse  in  that  place.  The  most  one  can  say  is 
that  one  has  observed  none.  If  a  number  of  observers 
make  the  same  report,  covering  a  period  of  several 
years,  the  chances  are  that  the  place  is  really  fly-free. 
Yet  I  have  heard  men  who  have  made  one  trek  down  a 
road  or  path,  and  never  stopped  to  examine  the  water- 
courses, confidently  assert  that  there  were  no  tsetse 
on  such-and-such  a  route. 

If  the  country  is  inhabited  by  tsetse,  they  may  be  of 
the  palpalis  group  or  of  the  morsitans  group  or  of  both. 
Again  either  of  these  kinds  may  be  infected  or  not 
infected,  that  is  to  say,  some  of  them  may  be  carrying 
trypanosomes  and  thus  infection,  or  the  country  may  be 
uninfected  from  the  fact  that  no  infected  person  or  cattle 
have  come  there  and  been  bitten,  thereby  infecting 
the  fly. 

So  a  country  may  be  fly-free  or  inhabited  by  tsetse, 
and  if  the  latter,  it  may  be  uninfected  or  infected  with 
sleeping  sickness  and  not  cattle  sickness  (trypanosoma 
Brucei),  or  vice  versa,  or  infected  with  both. 

However,  if  a  country  is  inhabited  by  the  palpalis 
group  and  not  by  the  morsitans,  it  does  not  follow  that 
it  is  safe  to  send  possibly  infected  cattle  there,  if  you 
wish  to  keep  disease  out.  It  is  not,  I  believe,  definitely 
known  yet  whether  palpalis,  the  sleeping-sickness  fly, 
can  carry  the  cattle-infecting  trj^anosome,  whilst 
recent  experiments  would  seem  to  prove  that  cattle 


ODD   NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       343 

can  carry  the  sleeping-sickness  trypanosome  whilst 
remaining  themselves  quite  unaffected  by  it. 

Of  other  members  of  the  order  Diptera,  there  are 
the  mosquitoes,  certain  of  which  carry  malarial  fever, 
and  many  other  kinds,  which  are,  so  far  as  is  at  pres- 
ent known,  innocuous,  except  for  the  annoyance  they 
cause.    ■ 

The  malarial  kinds  (anopheles)  may  be  recognised 
by  the  way  they  sit ;  their  bodies  stick  out  at  an  angle 
to  the  plane  of  the  wall  or  object  sat  on,  instead  of 
being  parallel  to  it. 

Of  other  biting  flies  there  are  the  seroots  or  hippo- 
flies,  horse-flies  and  sand-flies.  These  are  not  at  present 
known  to  convey  disease  except  possibly  accidentally. 
Although  the  seroot,  for  instance,  cannot  harbour 
the  sleeping-sickness  trypanosome  in  his  proboscis,  in 
the  way  that  the  tsetse  does,  it  is  quite  possible  that 
after  biting  a  sleeping-sickness  patient  a  few  trypano- 
somes  might  be  left  on  its  proboscis  and  if  it  imme- 
diately bit  some  one  else  it  might  inoculate  him  with 
the  sickness.  That  is  to  say,  it  could  act  as  an  acci- 
dental carrier  of  the  trypanosome,  but  not  as  a  host 
to  it. 

In  the  same  w^ay  the  ordinary  house-fly  and  other 
common  flies  are  able  to  carry  and  promulgate  sickness, 
by  settling  first  on  one  object  and  then  on  another.  I 
believe  they  carry  the  germs  chiefly  on  their  feet.  En- 
teric and  ophthalmia  are  supposed  to  be  largely  carried 


344     HUNTING   THE    ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

by  flies,  whilst  I  believe  veldt  sores  are  mostly  caused 
by  flies  settling  on  a  small  scratch  or  cut  and  inoculat- 
ing it  with  germs.  At  any  rate,  if  a  cut  or  scratch  is 
immediately  covered  up,  so  that  flies  do  not  get  at  it, 
it  does  not  turn  into  a  veldt  sore. 

Of  other  diseases  carried  by  the  lower  forms  of  life, 
there  is  the  guinea  worm,  the  egg  of  which  enters  the 
system  by  drinking  bad  water,  whilst  spirillum,  tick 
fever,  and  perhaps  kala  azar  are  conveyed  by  different 
ticks. 

To  return  to  the  flies,  there  are  several  kinds  which, 
themselves  innocuous,  have  grubs  which  are  nocuous 
to  human  beings  or  animals.  Amongst  these  is  a  big 
fat-bodied  fly  which  lays  its  eggs  in  huts  and  from  these 
hatch  the  Congo  floor  maggot. 

For  the  philosopher  with  plenty  of  time  at  his  dis- 
posal, the  order  which  offers  the  most  interesting  study 
is  that  of  Hymenoptera, — bees,  wasps,  and  ants.  Their 
organisation  and  habits  form  an  endless  study,  whilst 
the  various  forms  and  the  neuter  insects,  which  come 
from  the  same  batches  of  eggs,  will  afford  much  food  for 
reflection  and  thought  to  one  interested  in  heredity  and 
the  origin  of  species. 

In  Africa  there  is  a  little  pigmy  bee,  about  the  size 
of  a  small  ant,  which  annoys  the  traveller  very  much 
by  crawling  over  him.  It  seems  absolutely  without 
fear  of  mankind,  as  it  is  impossible  to  frighten  it  away. 
It  does  not  sting,  but  if  one  sits  near  its  nest,  a  swarm 


ODD   NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       345 

will  buzz  round  and  hundreds  will  settle  on  one  and 
crawl  about.  As  a  wave  of  the  hand  will  not  send 
them  off,  it  is  necessary  to  brush  them  away  as  they 
settle,  in  which  process  hundreds  must  get  killed,  and 
yet  those  left  continue  to  crawl  over  every  human  be- 
ing who  passes,  with  the  utmost  persistence.  I  do  not 
know  what  they  find  so  attractive  about  him.  They 
make  honey  which  is  of  a  highly  scented  flavour,  but 
o^\dng  to  the  small  size  of  the  bee,  the  total  amount 
found  is  hardly  worth  taking.  They  generally  live 
in  the  stumps  of  old  trees. 

There  are  numbers  of  different  wasps  and  hornets, 
each  with  its  own  different  ways  and  habits,  many 
of  which  are  very  interesting.  There  is  the  mason 
wasp  who  builds  a  mud  house,  for  preference  on  your 
bookshelf.  Having  completed  her  building,  she,  for  it 
is  the  female,  puts  a  caterpillar  or  grub  inside  and  then 
lays  her  egg.  When  the  young  grub  hatches,  it  feeds 
on  the  caterpillar  till  it  is  full  grown. 

Mr.  H.  King,  entomologist  to  the  Sudan  government, 
pointed  me  out  two  wasps  one  of  which  I  had  often 
noticed  dragging  a  big,  black  cricket  about.  Mr.  King 
had  discovered  that  this  wasp  stings  the  cricket  in  three 
places,  thereby  paralysing  but  not  killing  it.  It  then 
lays  its  eggs  in  the  body  and  leaves  it.  The  young 
grubs,  when  they  emerge  from  the  egg,  feed  on  the 
cricket. 

The  other  one  he  showed  me  was  a  wasp  carrying 


346     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

about  a  caterpillar  in  an  aimless  way,  as  if  it  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  it.  Round  and  round  it  went, 
settling  here  and  there  and  returning  again.  The 
reason  for  this  was  that  it  was  followed  by  a  small  fly 
which  I  did  not  notice  till  it  was  pointed  out  to  me. 
This  fly  shadowed  every  movement  of  the  wasp ;  when 
it  sat  on  a  blade  of  grass,  it  sat  on  an  adjacent  blade 
watching  it;  when  it  moved,  it  followed  it. 

It  appeared  that  the  wasp  wanted  to  bury  the  cater- 
pillar and  lay  its  eggs  in  it.  However,  if  it  left  the 
caterpillar  for  a  moment,  the  fly  would  dart  in  and  lay 
its  eggs.  If  it  was  able  to  do  this  the  grubs  from  the 
fly's  eggs  would  feed,  not  on  the  caterpillar  but  on  the 
grubs  of  the  wasp.  This  was  the  reason  that  the  wasp 
was  so  anxious  to  escape  from  the  fly  and  the  fly  per- 
severed in  following  its  every  movement. 

Round  certain  ants'  nests  there  is  a  cleared  space.  I 
at  first  wondered  why  no  grass  grew  there  when  it  was 
growing  thickly  round  and  seeds  must  be  showered  on 
the  spot.  One  day  whilst  watching  the  workers  stream 
in  and  out  of  a  nest,  I  accidentally  dropped  some  to- 
bacco on  this  open  courtyard.  Soon  afterwards  a 
fatigue  party  emerged  from  the  nest  and  set  to  work, 
busily  clearing  up  the  refuse  I  had  so  clumsily  let  fall 
on  to  their  village  square.  I  then  dropped  some  grass 
seeds  on  the  open  space  and  these  were  also  imme- 
diately cleared  away.  To  the  ant  it  must  appear  as 
if  each  breath  of  wind  brings  a  shower  of  seeds  as  big 


ODD   NOTES  ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       347 

or  bigger  than  footballs  which  if  not  moved  immediately 
take  root  and  become  trees  as  high  as  St.  Paul's 
cathedral. 

A  well-known  figure  on  the  dinner  table  is  an  insect 
resembling  a  wasp  with  an  enormous  long,  fat  body, 
entirely  out  of  proportion  to  the  size  of  its  wings.  I 
am  told  that  it  is  a  flying  ant  and  not  a  wasp.  It  is  a 
clumsy  fellow  that  flops  onto  the  table  and  then  wanders 
about  dragging  its  long  body  after  it,  occasionally 
making  a  short  flight  up  to  the  lamp  with  a  loud  buzzing 
sound  and  then  faUing  back  on  to  the  table  again.  It 
is  the  most  persistent  thing;  one  may  throw  if  off  the 
table  or  out  of  the  window  a  hundred  times,  but  a  mo- 
ment later  you  hear  a  loud  buzzing,  and  flop !  on  to  the 
table  it  comes  again. 

Once,  whilst  pinning  beetles  in  the  verandah  of  my 
tent,  after  dinner,  I  was  so  annoyed  by  some  of  these 
fat-bodied  ants  that  I  moved  my  table  inside  and  laced 
up  the  tent.  No  sooner  had  I  set  to  work  again,  than 
buzz  flop !  and  a  great,  clumsy  f eUow  f eU  in  front  of  me ; 
he  must  have  come  in  with  me  or  crawled  under  the 
flies.  I  had  a  pair  of  forceps  in  my  hand  so  I  seized 
him  with  them  and  threw  him  through  the  ventilation 
hole  in  the  top  of  the  tent.  As  I  heard  him  tobogganing 
do\\'n  the  side  I  congratulated  myself  on  defeating  him, 
as  he  would  be  unlikely  to  find  this  small  hole  again 
to  effect  an  entry.  I  set  to  work  again,  but  a  few 
moments  later  he  reappeared  and  I  slung  him  out  again 


348     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

with  the  forceps.  I  fear  that  I  must  have  gripped  him 
very  roughly  this  time,  for  when  he  made  his  next 
appearance  his  cumbersome  body  was  dragging  behind 
him,  almost  separated  from  the  thorax.  Once  more  I 
slung  him  out  through  the  ventilation  hole  and  went 
on  setting  my  beetles.  Presently  a  bodyless  head  and 
thorax  dropped  on  to  the  table  in  front  of  me.  Since 
then  I  have  never  seriously  tried  to  get  the  better  of 
one  of  these  persistent  creatures. 

A  procession  one  often  meets  with  in  the  bush  is 
a  long  stream  of  black  ants,  which  have  just  been  raiding 
a  termite's  nest.  Every  member  of  the  party  is  carry- 
ing a  termite  in  his  mandibles.  Sometimes  one  sees 
the  wounded  being  borne  home  in  their  midst,  some  of 
them  bristling  with  hostile  termites,  who  have  died 
with  their  jaws  firmly  embedded  in  their  black  foes. 
The  victors  do  not  disembarrass  their  friends'  bodies  of 
these  appendages,  a  circumstance  which  seems  to 
prove  that,  in  addition  to  being  blind,  they  are  unable 
to  communicate  all  their  ideas  one  to  another. 

A  more  interesting  spectacle  is  the  battle  itself.  It 
is  generally  the  smaller  black  ants  who  are  the  bravest 
and  first  go  into  the  termite's  nest  to  grapple  with  them. 
The  battle  is  usually  subterranean  but  it  may  be 
watched  in  the  open  by  breaking  off  some  of  the  in- 
habited part  of  a  termite's  nest  in  front  of  an  invading 
army.  Both  ant  and  termite  appear  to  be  completely 
blind  and  so  there  is  much  groping  about  in  the  dark 


ODD   NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       549 

and  the  most  comical  mistakes  occur.  The  black  ant 
fences  round  till  he  runs  up  against  a  termite ;  it  is  his 
luck  whether  it  is  a  big  or  small  one.  He  takes  a  nip 
at  it  and  the  termite  turns  its  head  and  appears  to  eject 
something  (formic  acid)  at  its  enemy.  If  the  black 
ant  gets  it  full  in  the  face  from  a  big  one,  it  completely 
paralyses  him;  he  doubles  up  or  staggers  about  as  if 
drunk  or  ties  himself  in  knots.  After  a  time,  longer 
or  shorter,  he  recovers  and  is  able  to  renew  the  attack, 
though  often  with  less  vigour  or  in  a  nervous  manner. 

In  any  case  he  is  unable  to  stand  up  against  the 
termite's  acid  ejections,  but  if  he  has  the  luck  to  get  a 
good  grip  with  his  mandibles  on  the  termite's  stern  it 
is  always  fatal  to  the  latter.  The  termite  cannot  turn 
around  far  enough  to  disable  his  antagonist  and  is 
carried  off  without  more  ado.  As  the  black  ant  is 
unable  to  tell  which  end  is  which,  until  he  actually 
catches  hold,  he  will  often  come  up  to  the  right  end, 
that  is  the  rear,  and  suddenly,  hearing  the  termite 
move,  will  imagine  that  he  is  at  the  wrong  end  and  dash 
roimd  to  the  other  side  only  to  get  a  squirt  of  acid  full 
in  the  face.  Others,  having  located  an  easy  victim  in 
a  small  termite,  will  fence  round  for  a  grip,  all  unaware 
that  there  is  an  enormous,  great  fellow  with  open  jaws 
just  behind  them  feeling  around  for  a  grip. 

Some,  having  become  nervous  after  several  rebuffs, 
will  hastily  jump  out  of  the  way  of  one  of  their  own 
friends,  only  to  land  on  the  top  of  an  enemy. 


350     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Others  will  be  seen  dashing  round,  up  and  down,  in 
and  out  of  a  number  of  termites,  only  too  anxious  to 
meet  one  but  unable  to  locate  any.  Once  they  have 
been  repelled  by  a  termite,  they  seem  to  lose  track 
of  its  position  and  so  it  is  only  an  accident  if  they  renew 
the  attack  on  the  same  one ;  it  is  just  chance  which  they 
run  up  against  next. 

After  the  termite  has  squirted  acid  at  several  ants, 
his  supply  begins  to  give  out  or  get  less  powerful ;  each 
black  ant  who  attacks  subsequently  is  less  and  less 
annoyed,  until  at  last  he  falls  an  easy  victim. 

The  smaller  termites  are  unable  to  do  anything  but 
eject  acid,  but  the  larger  kinds  have  powerful  mandibles. 
They  are  very  slow  in  their  movements  and  find  it 
difficult  to  get  hold  of  the  agile  black  ant,  but  if  they 
ever  get  a  fair  grip,  they  never  let  go. 

I  have  several  times  noticed  a  minute  fly  persistently 
following  round  an  ant  carrying  a  dead  termite.  I 
can  only  conclude  that  it  is  awaiting  a  suitable  oppor- 
tunity to  slip  in  and  lay  its  eggs  in  the  body. 

Of  the  seven  orders  of  insects,  that  which  contains  by 
far  the  greatest  number  of  species  is  the  beetle.  Their 
study  is  so  great  an  undertaking  that  it  is  hardly  pos- 
sible for  any  one  man  to  be  an  authority  on  more  than 
about  one  or  two  out  of  the  seventy  odd  families 
extant. 

The  poorest  represented  orders  are  the  Neuroptera 
(dragon-flies)    and   Orthoptera  (crickets,  locusts,  and 


ODD   NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       351 

earwigs).  When  walking  through  grass  near  the  banks 
of  a  stream,  the  number  of  dragon-flies  that  will  swarm 
round  one  is  sometimes  surprising.  Some  retire  back- 
wards before  one,  others  follow  behind,  and  others  circle 
round  keeping  just  above  the  top  of  the  grass.  The 
first  time  I  noticed  them  darting  at  my  boots,  I  thought 
that  they  fancied  the  look  of  them  or  the  particular 
kind  of  boot  polish  I  affected,  which  was  at  that  time 
composed  of  hippo  fat.  However,  I  soon  discovered 
that  it  was  not  my  boots  at  all,  but  that  my  walking 
disturbed  hundreds  of  small  insects  in  the  grass  and 
that  it  was  these  the  dragon-flies  were  waiting  to 
catch. 

Perhaps  butterflies  and,  to  a  lesser  extent,  moths  are 
the  insects  of  which  most  is  known ;  at  any  rate  those 
are  the  collections  which  attract  the  greater  number  of 
people  who  take  up  insects.  Africa  produces  numer- 
ous large  and  beautiful  butterflies,  especially  amongst 
the  high-flying  kinds,  which  are  difficult  to  catch. 

Great  numbers  of  caterpOlars  are  met  with  whilst 
poking  round  in  the  bush.  So  little  is  known  about  the 
larval  and  pupal  stages  of  the  majority  of  insects,  that 
it  would  be  a  great  interest  to  breed  these  out  and  see 
what  they  turn  into.  To  be  a  good  draughtsman  and 
be  able  to  paint  water-colour  pictures  of  each  kind  and 
attach  them  to  the  perfect  insect  when  it  hatches  out 
would  certainly  add  much  to  science.  If  one  is  always 
on  the  move,  however,  it  is  impossible  to  breed  out 


352     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

insects,  as  they  require  constant  attention  and  changes 
of  food. 

The  last  order  is  that  of  Hemiptera  (bugs  and  frog- 
hoppers).  The  bugs  appear  generally  to  live  in  large 
parties  or  hatch  out  in  large  parties  together.  They 
go  through  many  metamorphoses  and  it  is  quite  possible 
to  mistake  one  insect,  in  several  stages,  for  several 
different  insects.  They  appear  to  wage  war  to  a  great 
extent  on  the  grubs  of  beetles,  and  different  kinds  can 
often  be  seen  walking  about  with  a  grub  transfixed  on 
the  swordlike  proboscis.  They  are  unable  to  bite,  Hke 
the  beetles,  but  feed  on  their  victims  by  sucking  up 
their  juices  through  this  proboscis.  The  froghoppers 
are  jolly  little  fellows  and  many  of  them  are  very  pretty, 
unlike  the  brilliant  but  unhealthy  looking  colouration 
of  the  bugs.  There  is  one  kind  with  a  forehead  and 
horns  exactly  like  a  bison. 

In  collections  of  insects  it  is  always  the  perfect 
insect  that  figures;  very  seldom  are  there  examples 
of  the  preliminary  transformations  attached.  Those 
of  the  greater  majority  of  exotic  insects  are  unknown 
and  the  difficulty  of  preservation  adds  to  the  want  of 
knowledge  about  them.  Moreover,  they  appear  more 
uninteresting  in  comparison  to  the  perfect  insect.  It 
is  from  these  causes  that  there  are  perhaps  a  hundred 
or  more  collectors  busy  with  the  perfect  insect  to  every 
one  who  interests  himself  with  the  larval  and  pupal 
stages. 


ODD   NOTES   ON  AFRICAN  INSECTS       353 

For  this  reason  insects  have  had  to  be  mainly  classi- 
fied from  their  appearance  during  their  last  or  flying 
stage.  There  is  a  certain  amomit  of  doubt  amongst 
many  families  as  to  the  order  in  which  they  should  be 
included.  All  classification  must  be  greatly  arbitrary 
but  a  more  general  knowledge  of  the  preliminary  stages 
would  most  likely  largely  smooth  the  path  of  the 
classifier. 

Further  than  this,  it  seems  to  me,  knowing  nothing 
about  it  by  the  way,  that,  were  it  possible,  a  classifica- 
tion based  entirely  on  the  characteristics  of  the  egg 
and  larva  ought  to  be  much  more  satisfactory  than  any 
other.  Modern  classification  is  not  only  an  effort  to 
tabulate  our  present  knowledge  and  give  names 
for  the  sake  of  convenience  in  reference,  but  it  is,  or 
should  be  in  its  highest  form,  an  effort  to  reconstruct 
that  tree  up  which  each  species  has  climbed  and  differ- 
entiated into  different  branches  by  means  of  accu- 
mulated variations.  Thus  if  we  say :  The  family 
Lamiidae  is  divided  into  the  genus  Docadion,  Lamia, 
etc.,  and  that  such  and  such  species  belong  to  the 
genus  Lamia,  it  ought  to  be  the  same  as  saying  that  to 
the  best  of  our  belief  these  species  sprung  from  a  com- 
mon ancestor  whom  we  may  call  Lamia  prototypicus. 
Further,  that  Lamia  prototypicus,  Dorcadion  proto- 
typicus, etc.,  sprung  from  an  ancestor  whom  we  might 
call  Lamiidae  prototypicus,  and  so  on  back  through  the 

scale. 

2a 


354     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 


Diagram  No.  i 


However,  as  the  different  species  probably  broke 
off  at  various  times  from  the  generic  t3^e  and  some 
have  differed  more  in  a  short  time  than  others,  the 

drawing  of  a  line  and 
asserting  that  the  genus 
starts     from    there    is 
purely  arbitrary.   There 
is  no  symmetry  in  na- 
ture, and  so  a  classifica- 
tion absolutely  symmet- 
rical is  an  ideal  but  not 
a  practical  possibility. 
To  return  to  the  simile  of  the  tree;  if  species  diverged 
according  to  the  first  diagram,  the  work  of  the  classifier 
would  be  made  easier,  and  he  could  try  to  divide  them 
into  groups  as  shown  by  the  transverse  lines. 

However,  these  species  have  diverged  more  on  the 
lines  of  Diagram  2,  which  can- 
not be  cut  by  any  symmetri- 
cal lines.  There  is  always  the 
problem  to  face  as  to  whether 
the  line  should  not  be  drawn  a 
little  higher  or  a  little  lower, 
so  as  to  include  or  exclude 
another  branch  or  two,  or  in 
other  words  by  putting  the 
date  of  each  prototype  back  a  little  further,  you  make 
it  an  ancestor  of  another  branch  or  two;  by  taking  it 


Diagram  No.  2 


ODD   NOTES   ON   AFRICAN   INSECTS       355 

at  a  later  date,  you  put  another  branch  or  two  into  a 
different  family.  So  it  is  a  practical  impossibility  for 
the  classifier  to  attain  his  ideal,  but  that  does  not  pre- 
vent him  always  having  it  in  view.  Now  the  larva  may 
in  a  sense  be  considered  as  the  foetus  of  the  perfect 
insect  and,  as  such,  it  should  show  more  clear  signs  of 
past  relationship  than  does  the  perfect  insect.  If  of 
three  species  springing  into  being  at  about  the  same 
date,  from  the  same  prototj^e,  one  had  advanced  and 
developed  on  its  new  lines  very  quickly,  whilst  the  other 
two  had  progressed  more  slowly,  the  first  one  might  be 
thought  so  different  from  the  other  two  that  it  should 
be  given  a  genus  of  its  own.  However,  if  the  foetus 
really  goes  through  some  of  the  past  stages  of  the 
animal  from  which  it  springs,  an  examination  of  the 
larva  should  show  how  closely  these  three  are  related 
and  so  help  the  classifier  to  reconstruct  past  history. 

Just  as  the  examination  of  the  foeti  of  mammals 
has  enabled  us  to  prove  to  greater  satisfaction  the 
relationship  of  certain  animals,  so  should  the  exam- 
ination of  ova  and  larva  help  us  to  determine  better 
the  afiroities  between  different  insects.  But  how  very 
insignificant  is  the  data  on  which  the  classifier  must 
rely,  when  trying  to  probe  into  the  past.  His  task  can 
never  really  be  concluded.  It  is  as  if  an  antiquarian 
were  given  an  old  coin  and  a  bit  of  pottery  and  told  to 
reconstruct  from  them  Roman  history. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

MIMICRY  AND  PROTECTIVE  COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS 

As  regards  the  larger  game,  the  more  I  consider 
the  subject  and  the  more  I  see  of  them,  the  more 
am  I  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  protective  colouration  amongst  them,  except 
such  as  is  purely  accidental.  Not  only  do  the  majority 
not  appear  in  my  eyes  as  protectively  coloured,  but 
their  habits  are  such  as  to  make  the  most  perfect 
adaptations  to  their  surroundings  useless  to  them. 
The  majority  are  very  conspicuous,  and  they  do  not 
appear  to  rely  on  their  colouration,  but  rather  their 
fleetness  of  foot,  ability  to  take  cover,  or  the  difficulty 
of  the  country  they  inhabit  to  escape  capture. 

As  regards  the  smaller  game  and  lesser  mammals, 
with  possibly  a  few  exceptions,  I  do  not  believe  that 
they  have  assumed  their  colours  or  markings  in  mimicry 
of  any  surrounding  objects,  although  I  admit  that 
many  of  them  may  have  been  prevented  from  assuming 
more  striking  colours  by  the  necessity  or  advisability 
of  remaining  inconspicuous. 

With  insect  life,  however,  quite  different  condi- 
tions prevail.  They  do  not,  as  a  rule,  roam  over 
great  areas  full  of  different  kinds  of  vegetation  and  a 

35  6 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     357 

multitude  of  objects  of  all  manner  of  shapes  and 
colours.  Their  lives,  especially  in  the  first  stages, 
are  of  a  more  sedentary  and  restricted  nature.  An 
insect  may  spend  its  whole  life  on  one  single,  small 
plant.  In  many  there  is  a  specialisation  so  extraor- 
dinary that  it  prevents  any  variation  of  their  exist- 
ence; certain  kinds  can  only  live  under  certain 
particular  combinations  of  circumstances.  Thus  there 
are  many  kinds  of  Ichneumons,  each  kind  of  which 
must  lay  its  eggs  in  one  special  kind  of  caterpillar. 
If  they  are  laid  in  any  one  of  a  thousand  other  kinds, 
the  grubs  are  unable  to  live  when  hatched.  Then, 
there  are  caterpillars  who  can  only  live  on  one  partic- 
ular kind  of  plant,  out  of  the  many  thousands  which 
have  been  provided  by  nature.  I  often  wonder  how 
this  tremendous  specialisation  has  arisen  and  why 
some  species,  more  elastic  in  mode  of  living  and  omnivo- 
rous in  tastes,  is  not  better  fitted  to  survive. 

These  very  specialised  modes  of  existence,  however, 
enable  a  protective  scheme  of  colouration  to  be  of 
service  to  its  possessor  and,  the  more  one  sees  of  insect 
life,  the  more  does  one  marvel  at  the  wonderful  adapta- 
tions to  and  mimicry  of  surrounding  objects.  It  is 
more  than  coincidence  that  so  many  are  so  exactly 
like  part  of  the  plant  they  feed  on,  blight  on  the  leaves, 
or  other  small  objects.  There  must  be  some  reason 
for  this. 

That  these  likenesses  have  been  acquired  for  purposes 


358     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN  AFRICA 

of  protection  appears  a  perfectly  plausible  and  satis- 
factory reason,  till  one  begins  to  examine  them  closely 
and  try  to  put  this  theory  to  the  proof.  If  the  theory 
is  sound,  surely  it  cannot  suffer  by  being  put  to  the 
test.  My  complaint  against  the  majority  of  the 
protectionist  school  is  that  they  do  not  appear  to 
subject  their  theory  to  the  searching  test  of  close 
outdoor  scrutiny.  Because  it  accounts  so  easily  for 
these  adaptations,  therefore,  it  must  perforce  be  true. 

If  an  Englishman  were  to  disguise  himself  as  a 
German  and  travel  in  Germany,  eating  sausages, 
sauerkraut,  and  raw  goose's  breast,  the  natural  conclu- 
sion would  be  that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  recognised 
as  an  Englishman,  and  that  he  faced  these  horrors 
to  avoid  detection;  in  fact,  that  he  was  a  spy.  If, 
however,  he  was  followed  about  and  observed  during 
aU  his  travels  and  it  was  found  that  he  never  went 
near  a  fortress,  that  he  took  no  interest  in  military 
matters,  and  proclaimed  openly  that  he  was  an  English- 
man wherever  he  went,  the  reason  for  his  disguise 
would  remain  a  mystery. 

This  is  what  I  feel  about  insects ;  the  more  I  see  of 
these  wonderful  adaptations,  the  more  I  wonder  why 
and  how? 

Why  should  some  insect  be  so  marvellously  like 
a  twig  or  a  leaf?  "To  enable  it  to  escape  from  the 
birds,"  the  protectionist  will  at  once  reply,  but  has 
this  even  been  proved  beyond  a  doubt  ?    I  am  puzzled 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     359 

beyond  words  to  imagine  why  it  should  have  taken 
the  trouble  to  become  like  that,  yet  I  cannot  believe 
that  this  explanation  meets  all  cases,  for  reasons  I 
will  explain  later. 

How  did  they  become  like  this?  The  Darwinian 
will  reply, '' Through  natural  selection  and  the  survival 
of  the  fittest  which  in  this  case  were,  in  the  first  instance, 
those  accidental  variations  which  were  most  like  the 
object  they  now  resemble."  Common  sense  forbids 
me  to  strain  Darwin's  theory  to  its  ultimate  limits 
by  imagining  a  slight  variation  from,  say,  a  cock- 
chafer-like beetle,  enabling  its  fortunate  possessor 
to  escape  detection  on  the  grounds  that  it  is  a  leaf. 
Even  if  it  is  granted  that  it  has  a  material  advantage 
over  its  fellows  when  it  has  covered  half  its  journey 
towards  the  leaf,  such  a  journey  will  occupy  perhaps 
a  million  generations,  and  during  this  time  its  chances 
of  extinction  are  no  less  than  that  of  its  fellows. 

I  suppose  that  no  thinking  person,  who  has  studied 
the  subject,  doubts  Darwin's  theory  of  the  origin  of 
species  as  to  its  main  facts.  That  still  remains  firmly 
planted  on  the  foundations  of  solid  fact  and  argument 
Darwin  himself  laid  for  it.  Many  of  the  lines  of 
thought,  however,  which  this  theory  has  suggested 
require  to  be  elucidated  and  further  explained.  Darwin 
himself  confessed  that  he  was  in  doubt  about  the 
exact  explanations  of  many  minor  points  which,  at 
first   sight,  did   not   appear   quite   clear.     There   has 


36o     HUNTING   THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

been  a  tendency  to  run  away  with  some  of  these  lines 
of  thought  without  subjecting  them  to  that  conscien- 
tious inquiry  and  rigorous  scrutiny  which  has  made 
The  Origin  of  Species  so  sacred  in  the  eyes  of  the 
naturalist. 

To  return  to  the  question  Why?  Many  of  the 
Mantis  bear  the  most  extraordinary  resemblance 
to  leaves,  grass,  and  flowers.  Such  resemblance  should 
undoubtedly  be  of  service  to  them,  as  they  are  predatory 
in  their  habits  and  are  accustomed  to  remain  motion- 
less for  long  periods  at  a  time.  When  their  prey 
comes  within  reach  they  seize  it.  It  would  seem,  with 
their  motionless  habits,  as  if  they  were  almost  entirely 
dependent  on  their  resemblance  to  a  natural  object, 
otherwise  their  prey  would  not  come  within  their 
reach.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  many  other  kinds  of 
Mantis  do  not  bear  such  a  remarkable  resemblance 
to  a  natural  object,  yet  these  kinds  are  by  no  means  the 
rarest.  Therefore,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  others  have 
taken  unnecessary  trouble  to  mimic  some  object. 
I  noticed  a  brown  one  the  other  night,  settled  on  my 
pink  lamp-shade ;  it  was  a  good  dead  leaf  or  grass 
brown  and  would  have  been  quite  unnoticeable  sitting 
on  a  blade  of  dead  grass,  but  on  my  lamp-shade  it 
showed  up  well.  Yet  it  managed  to  catch  its  dinner 
whilst  sitting  there.  If  the  struggle  for  existence 
amongst  his  kind  was  so  severe  that  he  must  distort 
his  body  to  appear  like  dead  grass,  how  did  he  manage 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS    361 

to  get  his  food  just  as  well  or  better,  off  my  pink  lamp- 
shade ?  However,  perhaps  this  is  not  a  fair  example, 
as  both  the  Mantis  and  the  moth  it  caught  were  in 
a  position  which  was  not  natural  to  them,  viz.,  on 
my  lamp-shade. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  of  mimicry 
I  have  yet  seen  was  a  certain  Mantis  about  four  inches 
long.  Its  head  resembled  a  blue  pea-flower  and  it  was 
garnished  with  a  topknot  to  resemble  stamens.  Its 
legs  were  thin  stalks,  adorned  with  buds  and  leaves 
at  the  joints,  and  also  had  flattened  surfaces  resembling 
green  pods.  It  was  altogether  furnished  with  an 
immense  amount  of  cumbersome  appendages,  extra- 
neous to  the  parts  of  its  body  necessary  for  the  natural 
functions  of  walking,  eating,  etc.  It  must  have  taken 
an  enormous  amount  of  trouble  and  gone  to  a  great 
wastage  of  material  to  attain  all  these  accessories, 
and  yet  I  found  it  sitting  on  the  wrong  plant.  It  is 
often  the  case  that  one  finds  two  insects  of  much  the 
same  habits,  size,  and  kind,  and  whereas  one  is  wearing 
a  very  good  disguise,  the  other  appears  to  have  taken 
Httle  thought  or  trouble  about  the  matter.  If  the 
survival  of  the  fittest  has  led  to  the  disguising  of  the 
one,  to  enable  it  to  continue  its  existence,  what  right 
has  the  other  to  be  existing  at  all? 

I  was  about  to  say  that  I  have  more  often  than  not 
noticed  that,  whereas  the  disguised  one  is  frequently 
of  rare  occurrence,  the  undisguised  one  is  often  very 


362     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

common.  This  might  be  considered,  however,  as  an 
unfair  statement,  for  it  might  be  said  that  the  one 
is  probably  less  often  detected,  owing  to  its  better 
disguise,  and  so  is  perhaps  not  so  rare  as  it  appears. 

Some  of  the  Phasmidae  (stick  insects)  show  most 
wonderful  adaptations.  The  gift  of  flight,  which 
some  of  these  possess,  would  seem  not  only  to  be  practi- 
cally useless  but  distinctly  disadvantageous.  They 
only  seem  to  fly  for  a  few  feet,  or  yards,  as  the  case 
may  be,  which  renders  them  very  visible,  when  other- 
wise they  would  have  escaped  detection.  Surely 
they  could  have  walked  these  few  yards.  Further, 
many  insects,  like  the  Mantis  above,  do  not  appear 
to  know  what  their  disguise  is,  or  why  should  these 
insects  be  so  fond  of  climbing  up  one's  tent  ?  I  fancy 
that  amongst  the  crowd  of  birds  which  collect  round 
a  bush  fire  are  some  which  prey  largely  on  these  Phas- 
midae as  they  fly  before  the  flames,  but  this  again 
is  perhaps  not  a  natural  condition. 

There  is  a  certain  Tenebrionidae  I  have  often  noticed 
which  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  half  of  a  small 
dead  seed  pod,  to  the  under  side  of  which  a  body  and 
legs  are  attached.  To  see  it  right  side  uppermost 
there  is  no  doubt  about  it;  it  is  the  half  of  a  seed  pod 
out  of  which  the  seeds  have  fallen  with  the  other  half 
broken  off.  It  lives  at  the  bases  of  big  trees,  and 
amongst  the  dead  leaves,  twigs,  and  other  debris  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  detect.     I  have  picked  up  many, 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     363 

having  caught  sight  of  them  moving,  especially  after 
the  ground  has  been  cleared  for  my  tent  to  be  pitched. 

"The  ground  being  disturbed  is  an  unnatural  con- 
dition," the  protectionist  would  say,  ''but  under  all 
ordinary  conditions  it  is  perfectly  concealed  and  even 
if  one  or  two  are  caught  moving,  the  great  bulk  derive 
enormous  benefit  by  the  disguise."  I  grant  this  but 
I  would  disagree  with  the  conclusion  the  protectionist 
would  draw  from  the  fact  that  this  insect  is  the  perfect 
resemblance  of  half  a  seed  pod.  He  would  say,  "  There- 
fore there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  has  gained 
these  characteristics  for  the  purposes  of  self-protec- 
tion, through  accumulated  variations  more  and  more 
like  the  object  mimicked." 

But  why  was  it  not  satisfied  with  any  good  general 
brown  colour  and  non-committal  shape  and,  if  it  liked, 
flattened  body,  when  it  would  have  been  just  as  invis- 
ible if  it  lay  still  amongst  a  mass  of  debris  ?  Why 
this  extraordinary  hkeness  to  a  seed  pod  which,  now 
that  I  know  its  disguise,  often  enables  me  to  find  it? 

When  scratching  round  under  a  tree,  if  I  see  this 
particular  kind  of  pod  I  always  pick  it  up,  knowing 
that  it  is  not  a  pod  but  a  Tenebrionidse.  Why  is 
not  its  natural  enemy  as  sharp  as  I  am  ?  Surely  it  is 
his  bread  and  butter  and  he  ought  to  know  the  pecu- 
liarities of  his  own  food  much  better  than  I  do  the 
peculiarities  of  one  amongst  thousands  of  insects  I 
only  examine  for  amusement. 


364    HUNTING  THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I  am  hoping  one  day  to  find  the  tree  of  the  seed  pod 
it  so  perfectly  resembles,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that 
it  is  a  seed  pod  and  nothing  else.  I  cannot  help  think- 
ing that  I  have  seen  this  kind  of  pod  somewhere  in 
another  country  before  but  cannot  remember  where, 
but  this  was  before  I  had  seen  this  beetle.  Since  I 
have  met  him,  I  have  been  on  the  lookout  for  the  tree 
but  have  never  found  it  yet. 

Why  then  has  it  gone  to  the  trouble  of  becoming 
like  this  particular  kind  of  pod  which  does  not  exist, 
or  at  any  rate  must  be  excessively  rare,  in  the  places 
where  I  have  found  it?  Of  course  in  other  countries 
the  same  beetle  may  be  found  and  also  the  particular 
pod  it  resembles,  but  here  in  the  Lado  I  have  found 
the  beetle  only.  If  it  can  live  just  as  well  without 
being  a  perfect  representation  of  any  actual  pod  or 
leaf  amongst  which  it  lives,  what  was  the  object  of 
this  wonderful  mimicry?  Why  could  it  not  have 
been  content  to  be  just  an  ordinary  brown  beetle  and 
kept  quiet  amongst  the  leaves?  Why  has  it  saddled 
itself  with  a  pod  two  or  three  times  its  size  which 
it  must  always  carry  about  on  its  back  ? 

It  is  not  necessary  for  a  creature  so  small  as  a  beetle 
to  be  a  perfect  representation  of  anything,  in  order 
to  be  concealed  whilst  lying  on  the  ground.  Many 
beetles  which  are  found  sitting  on  leaves  or  blades 
of  grass  rely  for  escape  on  dropping  to  the  ground 
like   a  plummet  on   anybody's   approach.     Although 


Good-bye 
Young  elephant  wheeling  round  to  go  off. 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     365 

such  beetles  are  of  the  most  varied  shapes  and  colours, 
it  is  a  fact  that  they  are  all  difficult  to  find  once  they 
have  dropped. 

Red  or  white  coloured  beetles  are  of  course  easier 
to  find  than  their  fellows,  but  any  generally  dark 
coloured  insect  is  excessively  hard  to  find.  Often 
have  I  searched  for  such  a  beetle,  after  seeing  it  drop, 
for  a  good  half-hour  without  finding  it,  although 
I  knew  where  it  had  fallen  within  a  few  feet.  Perhaps 
the  beetle  had  made  off,  but  again  I  have  often  found 
it  just  as  I  was  about  to  abandon  the  search.  The 
same  thing  has  often  happened  to  me  with  dead  beetles. 
^'Vhilst  setting  some  up  in  camp,  frequently  one  drops 
to  the  ground  and  if  the  eye  does  not  follow  it  quickly 
enough  to  see  the  exact  spot,  it  often  requires  a  long 
search  to  find  it. 

Even  with  his  disguise  our  seed-pod  beetle  does 
not  seem  to  be  immune  from  detection  by  some  sort 
of  creature,  it  would  seem,  as  I  found  one  of  which  the 
edge  of  the  pod  had  evidently  been  nibbled.  Whatever 
it  was  that  had  tackled  it  had  apparently  given  it  up  in 
disgust  after  nibbling  down  one  side  and  so  had  done 
no  harm  except  lightening  the  load  on  its  back.  Per- 
haps it  was  an  animal  who  fed  on  this  sort  of  pod  and 
was  disappointed  to  find  that  this  one  did  not  taste 
the  same  as  usual.  One  must  be  careful  in  choosing 
one's  disguise  or  one  will  only  fall  out  of  the  frying- 
pan  into  the  fire.    It  would  never  do  to  turn  into  a 


366     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN   AFRICA 

berry  or  one  might  find  that  one  had  a  hundred  tunes 
more  enemies  than  before. 

There  is  another  way  of  looking  at  the  question. 
If  the  beetle  is  too  hard  and  nasty  to  eat,  perhaps 
seed  pods  have  mimicked  the  beetle  so  as  to  escape 
from  the  birds  before  they  are  quite  ready  to  drop  their 
seeds. 

I  have  noticed  a  remarkable  resemblance  in  coloura- 
tion between  certain  bees  and  certain  rose-chafers. 
The  rose-chafer  spends  most  of  its  time  settled  on 
a  flower,  with  its  head  weU  buried  inside,  and  then  is 
very  like  a  bee  gathering  honey,  some  rose-chafers 
being  like  some  bees  and  some  like  others.  Evidently 
a  case  of  mimicry,  the  protectionist  would  say.  The 
rose-chafer  is  mimicking  a  bee  so  that  a  bird  will 
not  take  it  for  fear  of  its  sting  or,  vice  versa,  that  kind 
of  bee  is  pretending  to  be  a  rose-chafer  so  as  to  escape 
the  attention  of  the  bee  eater. 

I  am  not  saying  that  this  is  not  the  case,  but  before 
accepting  such  a  statement  I  would  like  some  definite 
proof  that  either  the  one  or  the  other  does  actually 
profit  by  this  resemblance.  The  pure  statement  that 
such  is  a  case  of  protective  mimicry  would  not  satisfy 
me.  If  it  was  definitely  proved  that  the  chafer 
really  mimicked  the  bee  for  purposes  of  protection, 
the  next  point  that  would  arouse  my  curiosity  would 
be,  "Why  is  the  bee  coloured  as  it  is?"  Probably 
the  protectionist  would  say  that  it  was  a  case  of  warning 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS    367 

colouration,  to  which  I  would  reply  that  these  bees 
are  less  injurious  than  the  ordinary  honey-bee;  still 
it  may  be  so. 

However,  when  the  laws  of  colouration  are  better 
understood,  it  is  possible  that  one  might  find  that 
similar  habits,  food  conditions,  and  environment  had 
caused  these  two  insects,  of  very  different  orders,  but 
similar  tastes,  to  assume  the  same  scheme  of  colouration. 

It  is  quite  possible  that  this  may  be  so  but  to  assert 
that  this  was  the  case  without  proof  would  be  rash, 
as  rash  as  to  assert  that  these  colours  were  purely 
caused  by  the  exigencies  of  protection  or  mimicry. 

To  quote  an  instance  of  protective  mimicry  of 
another  kind  of  insect  actually  given  by  the  protec- 
tionist school,  there  is  the  peculiar  resemblance  between 
certain  of  the  Danainae  and  the  Nymphalinae.  If  the 
one  really  mimics  the  other,  to  what  are  the  markings 
of  the  other  due?  However,  this  is  a  small  question; 
the  other  must  have  been  some  colour  or  combination 
of  colours.  What  defeats  me  is  how  did  the  mimi- 
cry start?  How  did  a  member  of  a  different  sub- 
family produce  in  the  first  instance  a  variety  sufficiently 
like  the  mimicked  species  to  be  of  any  real  service  to  it  ? 

For  a  usual  condition  of  a  mimicking  species  is  that 
it  is  different  in  colouration  to  the  rest  of  its  genus 
whilst  it  is  also  rarer  in  occurrence  than  the  species 
mimicked. 

This  brings  us  back  to  the  question  how?  again. 


368     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

Amongst  the  tortoise  beetles,  there  are  some  which 
are  difficult  to  find,  owing  to  their  habit  of  sitting 
quite  still  and  their  resemblance  in  colour  to  the  object 
they  are  usually  sitting  on.  There  are  two  small 
ones  I  have  noticed  very  alike  in  every  respect,  except 
that  the  one  is  a  shade  of  green  resembling  the  colour 
of  a  blade  of  fresh  grass  whilst  the  other  is  coloured 
light  brown  like  dead  grass. 

Assuming  the  origin  of  species  according  to  Darwin, 
there  seems  to  be  little  doubt  that  these  two  species 
have  sprung  from  a  common  ancestor  and  that  fairly 
recently.  Now,  if  we  are  to  believe  that  these  insects 
have  both  assumed  their  colours  for  the  purpose  of 
protection  and  have  sprung  from  a  common  ancestor, 
that  ancestor  must  have  had  some  colour  either  like 
the  one  (green)  or  the  other  (brown)  and  like  neither. 

Let  us  imagine  him  as  either  the  one  or  the  other 
or  a  neutral  colour.  Whatever  colour  you  imagine 
him,  it  is  a  long  step  from  green  to  brown.  If  it  was 
one  colour  to  start  with,  what  possible  use  could  it 
have  been  to  him  to  assume  his  first  variation  of  a 
slight  tinge  of  the  other,  when  the  grass  around  him 
was  either  green  or  brown.  When  he  was  just  half- 
way to  his  new  colour,  he  would  have  been  more  con- 
spicuous than  he  ever  was  before  or  would  be  since, 
because  then  he  would  be  shown  up  to  the  maxi- 
mum, whether  he  chose  dead  grass  or  green  grass  to 
sit  on. 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     369 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  brown  variety 
is  often  met  with  on  green  leaves,  where  they  seem 
to  thrive  equally  as  well  as  the  green  one,  and  so  one 
feels  rather  sceptical  about  that  strenuous  struggle 
for  existence  which  made  it  necessary  for  one  of  them 
to  turn  green. 

I  cannot  help  thinking  that  too  much  has  been 
made  of  this  fierce  struggle  for  existence,  especially 
when  considering  the  perfect  insect.  There  are  some 
kinds  of  insects  which  are  freely  eaten  by  birds  and 
other  things,  but  the  great  majority,  once  they  reach 
the  perfect  state,  fall  victims  to  old  age  or  an  inclem- 
ent climate,  or  if  they  are  devoured,  it  is  often 
only  after  they  have  performed  the  functions  of  breed- 
ing and  so  this  does  not  affect  the  continuation  of  the 
species. 

It  is  in  the  preliminary  stages  that  such  thousands 
die  off,  to  every  one  that  passes  through  these  stages 
to  attain  maturity.  Therefore,  it  is  in  the  first  stages, 
and  especially  in  the  larval  stage,  that  they  are  so 
urgently  in  need  of  protection,  and  it  is  just  in  this 
stage  that  one  does  not  meet  with  such  wonderful 
instances  of  adaptation.  True,  the  caterpillars  and 
grubs  of  many  kinds  are  like  the  plants  they  feed 
on,  but  I  have  rarely  met  with  those  really  wonderful 
instances  of  mimicry  amongst  larva  that  one  does  so 
constantly  with  the  perfect  insect.  Many  grubs  are 
strikingly  conspicuous   and   fall   easy  victims,  whilst 


370     HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

the  majority  seem  to  rely  more  on  concealment  than 
on  a  possible  protective  colouration. 

The  stick  caterpillars  would  no  doubt  be  quoted 
as  wonderful  instances  of  protective  colouration  and 
formation  in  the  larval  stage.  Undoubtedly  they  are, 
but  the  whole  is  shaped  much  like  any  other  caterpillar, 
there  are  no  appendages  such  as  imitation  buds, 
leaves,  etc.,  which  serve  no  functional  purpose  and  are 
often  developed  to  such  an  extraordinary  extent  in 
so  many  insects  in  their  perfect  state. 

No  doubt  the  colouration  of  these  geometers  is  pro- 
tective, not  only  in  appearance  but  also  in  actual 
fact.  I  do  not  deny  for  a  moment  that  there  are 
instances  in  which  the  insect  derives  protection  or 
other  advantage  from  its  colouration.  I  will  give 
one  in  point,  but  what  I  wish  to  insist  on  is  that 
there  are  insects  which,  although  coloured  and  shaped 
in  wonderful  mimicry  of  some  object,  appear  to 
gain  no  advantage  whatever  from  the  circum- 
stance. It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  claim  that  the 
protective  theory  unaided  will  not  explain  observed 
facts. 

The  instance  I  would  quote  is  that  of  a  small,  yellow 
spider  which  I  noticed  sitting  concealed  in  the  petals  of 
a  yellow  flower.  It  was  then  in  a  position  to  seize  small 
flies  that  unsuspectingly  came  to  settle  on  this  flower, 
attracted  probably  by  its  smell.  What  this  spider  does, 
though,  when  the  flower  fades,  I  am  unaware.     I  am 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     371 

quite  prepared  to  find  it  catching  flies  quite  well  on 
another  plant. 

Again,  if  it  is  to  be  believed  that  the  perfect  insect 
has  assumed  disguises  to  escape  from  the  bird  or  other 
enemy,  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  intelligence  of  such 
an  enemy  who  has  not  learned  to  recognise  him  under 
this  disguise?  With  them  it  is  their  daily  food  and 
their  life  that  is  at  stake.  Surely  the  bird  who  fed 
on  the  beetle  in  its  brown  days,  and  watched  it  through 
all  its  changes  tiU  it  arrived  at  its  present  green  colour, 
must  still  be  able  to  recognise  it  under  its  new  dis- 
guise. 

I  put  it  to  the  reader,  if  he  for  generations  had  been 
subsistent  on  a  green  beetle  for  food  or  even  on  many 
kinds  of  beetles,  would  he  not  have  grown  extraor- 
dinarily cunning  at  finding  such  beetles  ?  Would  not 
his  cunning  have  increased  to  meet  his  demands 
quicker  than  any  beetle  could  have  changed  its  form 
and  colour  ?  If  he  saw  a  green  lump  on  a  bit  of  grass, 
would  he  say  to  himself  "green  lump"  and  pass  on? 
Would  not  he  first  carefully  ascertain  if  it  was  really 
a  green  lump  and  not  a  beetle  ? 

I  am  forced  to  admit,  though,  that  many  animals 
do  seem  remarkably  stupid  and  dense  at  finding  such 
food,  but  I  have  imagined  in  these  cases  that  perhaps 
their  heart  was  not  in  it,  they  were  not  really  hungry 
or  did  not  really  want  that  sort  of  food,  in  other  words, 
that  the  struggle  for  existence  is  not  so  keen  as  supposed, 


372     HUNTING   THE  ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

and  that  the  late  bird,  even  if  it  be  a  fool,  manages 
to  find  a  worm  or  two. 

Original  variations  are  so  infinitely  small  that  I 
cannot  imagine  that  the  first  step  in  such  an  intricate 
and  marvellous  imitation  as  that  of  the  Mantis  I 
have  described  above  could  have  been  of  any  possible 
use  to  its  possessor.  The  difference  between  this  and 
an  ordinary  Mantis  is,  say,  that  of  a  million  gen- 
erations (a  million  million  would  really  be  more  like  it). 
An  individual  who  had  accidentally  assumed  a  varia- 
tion which  took  it  a  millionth  part  of  the  journey 
towards  becoming  a  blue  flower  with  seed  pods  would 
have  practically  no  better  chance  to  survive  than 
any  other.  Supposing  that  it  survived  and  produced 
progeny;  the  next  accidental  variation,  for  there  must 
be  a  second  and  a  third  up  to  a  million  accidental 
variations  before  it  reaches  the  end  of  its  journey, 
might  be  in  the  same  direction  but  might  equally  well 
be  in  any  other  direction.  The  odds  are  that  it  would 
not  be  in  the  same  direction  and,  if  it  were  in  any  other 
direction,  it  would  nullify  the  part  of  the  journey 
already  accomplished. 

A  million  variations  all  in  the  same  direction  and 
climbing  towards  the  same  goal  are  too  great  a  stretch 
for  the  imagination  if  the  word  accidental  is  used. 
It  is  not  a  mathematical  possibility.  There  must 
be  some  intelligence  or  law  at  work  to  produce  such  a 
result  by  such  a  means. 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION  IN  INSECTS     373 

However,  there  is  a  point  of  view  that  Darwin  has 
suggested,  but  which  has  been  Kttle  dwelt  on  oramphfied 
by  his  successors.  That  is,  if  the  animal  has  developed 
from  something  very  different,  so  in  all  probability 
has  the  vegetable.  So,  if  a  Mantis  has  changed  from 
something  very  different  to  look  like  a  blue  flower 
with  green  seed  pods,  the  chances  are  that  when  it 
undertook  this  change  the  blue  flower  was  also  some- 
thing very  different. 

Put  this  back  further  to  the  ancestor  of  the  original 
Mantis,  and  the  ancestor  of  the  original  pea-flower 
and  again  put  it  back  as  far  as  you  like.  Go  back 
to  a  time  when  there  were  practically  no  specialised 
animals  or  vegetables  extant.  Go  back,  if  you  like, 
beyond  this  and  imagine  a  very  low,  primitive  form 
of  animal  life  bearing  a  resemblance,  either  accidental 
or  again  caused  by  some  bygone  occurrence,  to  some 
primitive  form  of  vegetable  life. 

It  is  much  easier  to  believe  that  these  two  have 
come  up  hand  in  hand  through  long  ages,  each  minute 
change  in  one  being  productive  of  a  change  in  the 
other,  than  to  imagine  that  a  brown  beetle  living 
amongst  green  stuff  gradually  became  green,  so  as 
to  mimic  the  plant  on  which  it  lived.  Given  a  long 
enough  period  of  this,  and  heredity  will  come  into  play, 
the  one  will  grow  so  accustomed  to  follow  the  changes 
in  the  other,  that  it  may  continue  some  time  after  the 
need  to  do  so  has  passed  away.     This  would  afford 


374     HUNTING   THE    ELEPHANT   IN   AFRICA 

a  possible  but  not  a  satisfactory  reason  for  some 
of  the  marvellous  instances  of  adaptation  apparently 
gaining  little  advantage  by  their  mimicry.  The  proof 
or  refutation  of  such  a  theory  lies  in  such  dim  and 
remote  antiquity  that  it  is  really  but  idle  specula- 
tion. 

If,  however,  one  dispenses  with  the  words  accidental 
variations  and  substitutes  something  which  implies 
memory,  intelligence,  or  a  conscious  striving  after  a 
given  form  or  colour  one  eliminates  the  contemplation 
of  such  odds  against  the  accumulation  of  infinite 
minute  variations,  all  trending  in  the  same  direction, 
as  would  amount  to  a  mathematical  impossibility. 

Sexual  selection  has  not  been  touched  on.  It  is 
easy  to  believe  in  an  accumulation  of  variations  selected 
in  this  way  finally  leading  to  the  most  weird  and  remark- 
able effects  but  not  perhaps  to  mimicry.  At  first 
sight  the  odds  against  such  variations  arriving  at  the 
perfect  likeness  of  a  natural  object  might  appear 
infinitely  more  remote  than  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
theory.  Whereas  the  latter  at  least  alleges  that  it 
is  the  fittest  or  the  most  like  the  object  aimed  at  who 
survive,  in  the  former  the  variations  selected  are 
purely  according  to  the  caprice  of  the  selector.  How- 
ever, here  we  have  an  intelligent  being  who  may  have 
some  motive  or  some  ultimate  idea  faintly  connected 
with  its  selection. 

The  influence  of  environment  must  have  its  effects 


PROTECTIVE   COLOURATION   IN  INSECTS     375 

on  animal  life  as  it  does  on  the  human  being.  The 
poets  and  lovers  of  all  nations  are  given  to  comparing 
the  charms  of  those  they  admire  to  the  natural  objects 
around  them.  "Straight  as  a  cedar  of  Lebanon," 
"beautiful  as  the  eyes  of  the  camel,"  and  so  on.  By 
a  stretch  of  imagination  one  might  imagine  the  insect 
also  consciously  or  unconsciously  comparing  its  species 
to  food  or  natural  objects  which  surround  it. 

The  resemblance  or  fancied  resemblance  to  some 
natural  object  might  be  the  cause  of  selection  and 
such  a  cause  would  be  far  more  likely  to  remain  constant 
in  one  direction  for  a  certain  time  than  accidental 
variations.  Moreover,  there  would  be  a  conscious 
striving  after  a  given  form  or  likeness. 

Again  the  influence  of  environment  might  affect 
the  colour  and  form  of  a  creature.  There  might 
be  some  dim,  subconscious  memory  of  the  shape 
and  colour  of  the  plant  it  had  always  fed  on,  that 
might  induce  in  the  insect  a  series  of  infinitesimal 
modifications  which,  when  accumulated,  arrive  at 
the  result  we  see. 

If  I  had  to  believe  in  some  improved  theory  to  ac- 
count for  these  likenesses,  I  would  much  rather  believe 
in  some  such  as  this,  wild  as  it  is,  for  it  would  fit  in 
better  with  facts  as  I  observe  them.  It  would  at  least 
account  for  the  very  free  and  easy  way  that  insects 
neglect  to  take  fuU  advantage  of  their  adaptations. 
That  is  to  say,  a  theory,  to  my  mind,  should  explain  :  — 


376    HUNTING  THE   ELEPHANT  IN  AFRICA 

I.  The  cause  of  these  wonderful  adaptations  in  the 
insect  world. 

2.  The  reason  why  so  many  of  them  are  apparently 
perfectly  useless  to  their  possessors. 

As,  however,  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  believe 
in  anything,  I  wonder  only  more  and  more  Why? 
and  How? 


INDEX 


Abdi  Hassan,  head  man,  i68. 

Aberdare  range,  elephant  hunting  on  the, 
3-17- 

Abyssinians,  respect  for  the  buffalo 
among,  87  ;  method  of  shooting  buffalo 
practised  by,  87-88 ;  begging  habits  of, 
284;  thievery  among,  295. 

Africans,  limitations  of  existence  of 
native,  205-207 ;  improvidence  of, 
207-208;  curious  family  relations  of, 
208-209;  degree  of  skill  in  bushcraft, 
209-210 ;  poor  eyesight  of,  210 ;  vague- 
ness as  to  time  and  distance,  21 1-2 14; 
occupations  and  ideas  of  labour  among, 
214-216;  division  of  labour  imknown 
to,  216-218 ;  lack  of  trustworthiness  of, 
219;  extreme  tolerance  characteristic 
of,  221 ;  courtesy  exercised  toward 
white  men  by,  222;  density  of,  con- 
cerning the  unusual,  280-281 ;  prov- 
erbs of  the,  281-283;  begging  by, 
283-284;  conception  of  courage  among, 
285 ;  qualities  and  characteristics  in 
warfare  with  white  men,  309  ff.  See 
also  Servants. 

Ambatch  rafts,  95,  98-100. 

Ants,  observations  of,  346-350. 

Arabs,  comprehension  of  black  man's 
failings  by,  181. 

Athi  River,  animals  in  region  of  the,  259. 

Awemba  country,  measurement  of  dis- 
tances in  the,  214. 

Banana  wine,  yeast  from,  297. 

Bandanas  for  savage  wear,  77. 

Bangweolo,  Lake,  hvmting  near,  33. 

Bantu  servants,  155,  158,  165,  168,  205  ff. 

Bees,  possibilities  for  study  of,  344-345 ; 
question  concerning  protective  coloura- 
tion in,  366-367. 

Beetles,  study  of,  350-351 ;  protective 
colouration  in,  364-366,  368  ff. 

Begging  characteristic  of  natives,  283- 
284. 

Bongo,  hunting  the,  325  ff. ;  habitat  of 
the,  326-328 ;  method  of  penetrating 
forests,  329;  food  of,  334. 


Bravery,  native  Africans'  ideas  of,  285. 

Bruce,  Captain,  25. 

Buffalo,  hunting  the,  80  ff . ;  danger  of 
himting,  as  compared  with  other  game 
animals,  81-82  ;  restrictions  on  shoot- 
ing, 83 ;  adventures  with,  84-87 ; 
destruction  of,  by  rinderpest,  88; 
fallacy  of  subdivision  of,  by  horns,  88- 
91 ;  Hghter  colour  of  females  and  young, 
91 ;  dependence  of,  on  water,  91 ; 
quicker  response  of,  to  sense  of  smeU 
than  to  that  of  sight,  91-93. 

Bugs  in  Africa,  352. 

Bushbuck  shooting,  240-241. 

Bushcraft,  superiority  of  Africans  over 
white  men  in,  209. 

Butterflies,  African,  351. 

Camping,  practical  suggestions  on,  295- 

308. 
Canoe,  the  native  African,  103-104,  106. 
Caterpillars,   opportunity   for   study  of, 

351- 
Chambesi  River,  plague  of  tsetse  flies  on 

the,  341. 
Children,  viewpoint  of  savages  regarding, 

208-209. 
Chupaties,  receipt  for  making,  297-298. 
Clerk,  erudition  of  a  Mganda,  223-224. 
Clothing  for  life  in  the  wilds,  307-309. 
Coiui;esy  of  natives  toward  white  men, 

222. 
Cox,  Captain,  259-260. 
Crocodiles  at  Fajao,  108-109. 
Crow,  the  Indian,  265. 

Dinkas,  fish-spearing  by,  109. 

Dirre  Daua  road,  experiences  on  the,  290- 

292. 
Distance,  vagueness  of  native  Africans  as 

to,  2 1 1-2 14. 

Ears  of  elephants,  the  fold  of,  276-277. 

East  Africa,  hunting  in,  2 ;  lack  of 
trackers  in,  19;  rhinoceros  hunting  in, 
32 ;  pleasures  of  hunting  in  high- 
lands of,  257,  258. 


377 


378 


INDEX 


Elephant  hunting,  fascination  of,  i ; 
restrictions  on  modern,  1-2  ;  locations 
for,  2-3 ;  in  Southern  Lado  Enclave, 
46  ff. ;  in  the  Lugware  country,  171 
ff. ;  weight  of  tusks  compared  with 
size  of  spoor  in,  178,  270-272. 

Elephant  meat  as  food,  184. 

Family    relations    of    native    Africans, 

208-209. 
Field  article  on  the  honey-guide,  268. 
Fire,   doubtful  theory  of  wild  animals' 

fear  of,  33-34. 
Fires,  injuries  to  elephant  from,  279. 
Fishing,    native    Africans'     method    of, 

107-110. 
Fish-spearing  by  Dinkas,  109. 
Flies,  discussion  of  African,  338-344. 
Fredericks,  Captain,  164,  318. 
Frock  coats  for  savages,  75 . 
Froghoppers,  352. 

Game  animals,  compared  as  to  danger  in 
hunting,  81-84 ;  fallacy  of  theory  of 
protective  colouration  of,  278,  356. 

"Game  of  East  Africa,"  cited,  82,  129, 
229,  295. 

Gessi,  Mt.,  hunting  about,  183-184. 

Gordon,  Captain,  atEmbu,  142-143. 

Guinea  worm,  the,  344. 

Halkett,  Captain  Craigie,  197. 

Hart,  Captain  R.  S.,  46,  52-53,  77,  121- 

122,  125,  171,  186,  226. 
Hippopotamus,  adventure  with,  on  the 

Nile,  62-63. 
Holster,  construction  of  a  revolving,  298- 

299. 
Honey-guide,  the,  263-269. 
Horns,     criticism     of     classification     of 

bufialoby  the,  88-91. 
Husseni,    Swahili   cook,    119,    150,    151, 

202-203. 

Impala,  characteristics  of  the,  262. 

Insects,  notes  on  African,  336  ff. ;  sug- 
gested change  in  method  of  classifica- 
tion, 352-355;  mimicry  and  pro- 
tective colouration  in,  356. 

Ithanga  Mountains,  rhinoceros  in  region 
of,  39-43- 

Jackson,  F.  J.,  governor  of  Uganda,  on 
the  tsetse  fly,  340. 

Kao,  town  of,  252-253. 
Karori,  Kiyuyu  chief,  248-250. 


Kinangop,  bongo  hunting  on,  325  ff. 
King,  H.,  entomologist,  345. 
Kirongozi,  Lugware  guide,  190-191. 
Kisii  warrior,  adventure  with  a,  312-315. 
Kongoni,   lions  and,   at  Ndurugu,    140; 

experiences  in  shooting,  232-234. 
Koshi  River,  95. 

Lado,  elephant  hunting  in  the,  11 8-1 26. 

Lanterns,  home-made,  304-305. 

Leopard,  comparative  risks  of  hunting, 
81 ;  incident  of  meeting  a,  near 
Hargeisa,  180;  carrying  qualities  of 
sound  made  by,  261-262. 

License  for  shooting  elephant,  i. 

Lion,  comparative  risks  of  hunting,  81, 
82-83 ;  impressions  on  first  meeting 
a,  127;  man-eating,  128-134;  en- 
counter with  and  injury  from,  at 
Simba  station,  134-139;  other  ad- 
ventures with,  140  ff. 

Lugware,  timidity  of  the,  with  elephant, 
48;  other  characteristics  of,  171-175; 
elephant  hunting  in  country  of,  171  ff. 

Lyell,  M.  D.  D.,  129. 

Madi,  timidity  of,  with  elephant,  48,  65- 

68;     experience  in  shooting  elephant 

among,  68-71. 
Maliko,  Baganda  porter,  176,  177,  191, 

193-196. 
Man-eating  lions,  128-134. 
Mangazi  Valley,  tsetse  flies  in  the,  341. 
Mantis,  mimicry  in,  360-361. 
Matches,  hints  concerning,  308. 
Matola,  orderly,  22,  24,  26,  28,  30,  33. 
Mbelazoni,  town  of,  254. 
Measurements   of   elephants   and   their 

tusks,  270-275. 
Meat,    of   elephants,    184;    methods   of 

making  tender,  299. 
Meru  country,  elephant  hunting  in  the,  2. 
Mimicry  in  colouration  of  insects,  356  ff. 
Morsitans  group  of  tsetse  flies,  339,  341, 

342. 
Mosquitoes,  343. 
Mostyn,  Captain,  37,  38. 
Moths,  351. 
Mtundu,  a  measurement  of  distance  in 

Awemba  country,  214. 

Ndurugu,  lions  at,  140. 

Net,  use  of,  in  fishing,  109-110. 

Neumann,  A.  H.,  2. 

Nguzeru,  experiences  in  climbing  peak  of, 

242-248. 


INDEX 


379 


Nile  River,  hunting  experiences  along  the, 
46  S. ;  native  method  of  fording,  sg ; 
experiences  in  trekking  down  bank  of, 
in  wet  season,  g4  ff. 

Nyasaland,  native  trackers  in,  20; 
rhinoceros  hunting  in,  ss  ;  man-eating 
lions  in,  128;  pecuUarities  of  native 
servants  in,  153-155 ;  life  of  a  head 
man  in,  157. 

Olivier,  Captain,  3. 
Ongwech,  Chief,  64. 
Orgobi,  the  man-leopard,  203. 
Ostrich  eggs,  239. 

Palpalis  group  of  tsetse  flies,  339, 341, 342. 

Partridge  near  Mt.  Kenya,  261. 

Paths,  blocking  the,  300. 

Pazo  ointment  for  veldt  sores,  306. 

Pigmy  bee,  the,  344. 

Pigs  seen  in  Ngong  forest,  231-232. 

Protective  colouration,  merely  accidental 
in  larger  animals,  278,  356;  and  mimi- 
cry, ia  insects,  356-375. 

Proverbs,  native  African,  281-283. 

Rafts,  construction  of,  98-100. 

Reedbuck,  experience  in  shooting,  239- 
24.0. 

Rhinoceros,  hunting  the,  32  ff.;  sores 
on,  43-44- 

Rhodesia,  native  trackers  in,  20;  rhi- 
noceros hunting  in,  33. 

Rinderpest,  epidemic  of,  88. 

Rivers,  African,  94  ff. 

Roan,  blunting  of  the  horns  by,  91. 

Roosevelt,  Theodore,  81. 

Rose-chaffer,  mimicry  in  colouration  of 
bees  by  the,  366. 

Rudolph,  Lake,  hunting  in  country 
about,  2. 

Sayings  of  Africans,  280-285. 

Seasons,  dry  and  wet,  in  tropical  Africa, 
94- 

Selous,  F.  C,  on  danger  connected  with 
shooting  buffalo,  86;  on  protective 
colouration,  278;  correspondence  of, 
on  the  tsetse  fly,  339-340. 

Serval  cats,  238. 

Sen'ants,  vagaries  of  native  African, 
153  ff. ;  Bantu,  155,  158,  165;  strange 
mistakes  made  by,  159-161;  Central 
African,  160-161;  Somali,  161-165; 
SwahiU,  165—166;  thieving  by,  166— 
168;  happy-go-lucky  qualities  of, 
205  ff. ;  improvidence  of,  207-208. 


Sharp,  Sir  Alfred,  correspondence  be- 
tween Selous  and,  on  the  tsetse  fly, 
_  339-340._ 

Simba  station,  lion  at,  134. 

Skin,  ways  of  softening,  300. 

Sleeping-sickness  flies,  338  ff. 

Smell,  response  of  animals  to  sense  of,  91- 
93- 

Somali  language,  162-163. 

Somaliland,  grasping  character  of  natives 
of,  24-25;  lion-hunting  in,  127; 
natives  of,  as  servants,  1 61-165;  high 
esteem  of  natives  for  their  country,  163. 

Sores,  on  rhinoceros,  43-44 ;  on  ele- 
phants from  burns,  279;   veldt,  306. 

Spoor,  deductions  as  to  tusks  and  size  of 
elephant  from,  178,  270  ff. 

Stephanie,  Lake,  hunting  in  country 
about,  2. 

Swahili,  as  servants,  165-166;  proverbs 
of  the,  281-283. 

Swamps,  African,  94  ff.,  114-115. 

Tana  River,  canoeing  on  the,  253-254. 
Taylor,  Rev.  W.  E.,  collection  of  Swahili 

proverbs  by,  281. 
Tengeneza,  gun-bearer,  84-86,  149. 
Thievery   of  native   servants,    166-168; 

measures  of  protection  against,   295— 

296. 
Time,  vague  ideas  of  Africans  as  to,  211. 
Tinned  goods,  care  of,  302-303. 
Trackers,   native,   in  elephant  hunting, 

18  ff. ;   speciahsation  by,  45. 
Tsetse  fly,  the,  338-343- 
Tusks,  weight  of,  compared  with  size  of 

spoor,     178,     270-272;      remarks    on 

measurement  of,  273  ff. 

Uganda,  absence  of  rhinoceros  from,  44. 

Veldt  sore,  the,  306. 

Victoria  Nile,  fishing  on  the,  108. 

Wadelai,  a  camp  at,  62. 

Wart  hogs,  233,  234-235 ;  characteristics 

of,  236-238. 
Wasps,  African,  345-346. 
Wati,  Mt.,  site  of  Belgian  camp  at,  184. 
Werewolf  beliefs  among  Africans,   293- 

294. 
Witu  and  its  Sultan,  251-252. 

Yeast  made  from  native  spirits,  297. 

Zomba,  dinner  party  in,  161. 


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years  of  his  life  within  the  Arctic  Circle.  Mr.  Stefansson 
has  had  a  vast  amount  of  material  upon  which  to  draw,  and 
he  has  made  his  selection  wisely.  He  has  lived  with  the  Es- 
kimos for  long  periods ;  he  knows  their  language ;  he  has 
subsisted  on  their  food ;  he  has  heard  their  legends ;  he  has 
seen  them  in  their  daily  lives  as  have  few  explorers.  Con- 
sequently his  remarks  about  this  primitive  and  matter-of- 
fact  people  are  shrewd,  true,  and  frequently  amusing.  The 
experiences  and  tales  which  he  recounts,  mirroring  the  hard- 
ships and  the  inspirations  of  life  in  a  fearful  but  wonderful 
country,  compose  a  work  quite  the  most  absorbing  on  it  that 
has  ever  been  published. 

The  Barbary  Coast 

By  albert   EDWARDS 

Author  of  "  Panama,"  "  Comrade  Yetta,"  etc. 
With  many  illustrations.     Decorated  cloth,  i2mo.     Preparing. 

Albert  Edwards's  "Panama:  The  Canal,  the  Country,  and 
the  People"  has  gone  into  many  editions  and  received  wide 
and  favorable  comment.  Much  may,  therefore,  be  expected 
of  this  new  descriptive  volume,  in  which  Mr.  Edwards  relates 
some  of  his  remarkable  and  always  interesting  experiences  in 
the  states  of  northern  Africa.  Mr.  Edwards  does  not  write 
with  a  history  or  a  book  at  his  elbow ;  what  he  says  does  not 
come  to  the  reader  from  a  second-hand  knowledge.  He  has 
been  in  Africa  himself  and  he  writes  out  of  his  own  life. 


THE   MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

Publishers  64-66  Fifth  Avenue  New  York 


New  Illustrated  Books  of  Travel,  Adventure,  and  Description 

Highways  and  Byways  from  the  St.  Law- 
rence to  Virginia 

By  CLIFTON  JOHNSON. 
With  many  illustrations  made  from  photographs  taken  by  the 

author. 

Decorated  cloth,  8vo.     $1 .50  net 

As  in  the  case  of  the  other  volumes  in  this  series  Mr.  Johnson  deals 
here  primarily  with  country  life — especially  that  which  is  typical 
and  picturesque.  To  the  traveler  no  life  is  more  interesting  and 
yet  there  is  none  with  which  it  is  so  difficult  to  get  into  close 
and  unconventional  contact.  Ordinarily  only  casual  glimpses 
are  caught.  For  this  reason  Mr.  Johnson  has  wandered  much 
in  rural  byways  and  lodged  most  of  the  time  in  village  hotels  or 
in  rustic  homes.  His  trips  have  taken  him  to  many  characteris- 
tic and  famous  regions;  but  always  both  in  text  and  pictures  he 
has  tried  to  show  actual  life  and  nature  and  to  convey  some  of 
the  pleasure  he  experienced  in  his  intimate  acquaintances  with 
the  people.  There  are  notes  giving  valuable  information  con- 
cerning automobile  routes  and  other  facts  of  interest  to  tourists 
in  general. 


A  Woman  Rice  Planter 

By  PATIENCE  PENNINGTON. 

With  an  Introduction  by  Owen  Wister  and  many  illustrations  by 

AUce  R.  Huger  Smith. 

Decorated  cloth,  8vo.    Preparing 

Here  are  detailed  the  actual  experiences  of  a  woman  rice  planter  on 
her  own  account,  as  the  actual  manager  of  two  large  plantations 
in  South  Carolina.  The  book  is  all  the  more  interesting  and 
instructive  because  it  is  told  in  a  charmingly  simple  manner, 
and  without  a  trace  of  self-consciousness  or  self-assertion.  In- 
dependently of  the  information  it  conveys  it  has  attraction  for 
every  reader  by  reason  of  that  manner  and  as  a  revelation  of  a 
feminine  character  in  which  are  manifested  tender  susceptibility 
and  womanly  sympathy  no  less  than  rugged  courage  in  assum- 
ing an  arduous  task  and  in  overcoming  heavy  practical  obstacles. 
The  narrative  of  the  planter's  life,  with  its  many  responsibilities, 
the  risks,  the  vexations  and  the  cares  involved  in  her  ventures, 
the  sagacity,  skill  and  indomitable  persistency  with  which  she 
pursued  her  way,  makes  reading  always  interesting  and  fre- 
quently valuable  for  its  insight  into  a  remarkable  Southern  home. 


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